


New Divide

by gahtheone



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: Drama, Humor, M/M, Prison, Reunions, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22833844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gahtheone/pseuds/gahtheone
Summary: Will Horton and Sonny Kiriakis's final journey, starting with Will being cleared and released from prison, their struggles to reunite, reconnecting and finally leaving Salem. Dedicated to the wonderful actors who told their story and gave us wonderful years of love, and the supercouple that is WilSon.
Relationships: Will Horton/Sonny Kiriakis
Comments: 22
Kudos: 37
Collections: WilSon





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several years later, I'm back. Long time no see, my friends. The last time was to write about Will coming back to Salem. Now, it's about Will leaving Salem. With or without Sonny, that's for you to find out. Hopefully this one will work out. I got a few messages about me deleting the sequel to Operation Horton, I apologize, but I just wasn't feeling satisfied with what I was writing. I had no direction, and it was just plot hole after plot hole and lots of dead ends. I don't know if I'll work on it again, I like how the story ended, and don't really see the point. Anyway, this is something new, and I've altered some things in the original storyline, so I hope you guys like it. Let's ride!

_Late February 2021_

The truth was out.

As Will rested his hands on the bars of his cell, his new, smaller, darker cell, he thought of all the events that had led up to this moment.

After helping Ben and his psycho father buy time to escape prison, Will had been sent to solitary confinement as punishment, not that it made any sense, considering the place was mostly reserved for the most violent and deadliest prisoners. Then again, most of the guards, if not all of them, were corrupt, so he figured nobody actually cared.

Prison, Will had learnt, was an interesting, fascinating experience. Sure, he had been miserable, thinking he was responsible for his mother in law's death, torturing himself for being so stupid. He had just wanted to send his mother a Mother's Day message, and lost everything as consequence. His job, his life, his husband. And if his luck wasn't any worse, his cellmate was none other than Ben, the man who had tried to kill him all those years ago. A man who had used the same _modus operandi_ to kill his own sister, or so he believed until recently. He never would have imagined being friends again with the Necktie Killer. He guessed anyone in his corner was better than no one, but deep inside he knew he believed in Ben's innocence. He couldn't help it, loyalty had been his greatest quality and flaw.

Will had taken up the habit of reading novels again. Life and work had gotten in the way when he was free, and it was kind of nice to do it again, even if it was as a method to not lose his mind in this hellhole. He had even gotten a bit inspired, and had several ideas for different stories written in a small notebook he kept under his pillow, each one wilder and better than the previous one. It felt nice to vent, and transform his anger and sadness into words. He had given up on hating himself so much, he was sure Sonny hated his guts, so that was more than enough. Will wouldn't mind if he was sentenced to life in prison if it meant not facing all the people whose lives he had ruined (although it was very unlikely), and who probably never wanted to have anything to do with him ever again.

But when Ciara came to see him, and told him he was innocent, everything changed. He was definitely relieved he hadn't killed Adrienne, and the future didn't seem so dark anymore. He had not wanted to say anything anyway, for he didn't want Maggie to suffer what he had suffered. Loyalty was his quality and flaw, right?

But now, everyone knew. Or almost everyone, he wasn't sure. He only knew because he had heard the guards talking about it. He wondered if Sonny knew. If he was willing to take him back. Right, he was with Evan now. Will hadn't filed the divorce papers as Ciara had asked him to, so Sonny was technically cheating on him, but Will had been too dejected to call him on it. Not to mention Sonny thought he was free to move on so Will wouldn't blame him. That was who Will was. It sucked.

"HORTON!" yelled a strong voice, making Will startle and hit his forehead with the bars. A guard came out of the dark and into the dim light as Will rubbed his face, with a smirk. He had totally scared him on purpose. Asshole.

"What?" Will asked. He had spent an entire week inside solitary, he could be bitter with the guards if he wanted to. The guard gave him a mocking grin, though, which turned into a serious frown in a matter of seconds.

"The warden wants to see you" he replied, opening the cell. "Come on, move".

As they got out of the dark area, they walked past a man in a suit, who stared at him, then at the place they had just gotten out of, and then at the guard, accusingly. "Murray, what the hell? I told you to get Horton out of there three days ago!"

Murray just shrugged. "Oops".

"You are so fired" the man said, writing furiously on a small writing board he had as he walked away.

The guard kept walking, rolling his eyes at Will's glare. "Don't look at me like that, it was nothing personal. I'm just getting myself out of this place. I hate it here. And now, I'm fired, so thanks".

Will didn't say anything until Murray left him in front of the warden's office. Of course it'd be his luck that a guard would "forget" him on purpose in solitary confinement to get himself fired. He knocked on the door, heard a "come in!" and entered.

* * *

"He escaped?" asked an appalled Sonny, not believing what his father and uncle had just told him.

"As you heard" said Justin, hands in his pockets and sighing. "I honestly have no idea how it happened".

"He didn't say anything about considering escaping? You were his attorney!"

"I told him not to represent him but he didn't listen to me, and look where it got him" said Victor, with his typical scowl on his face. "His own client didn't trust him enough to tell him he was going to flee!"

"Ben escaping without telling me has nothing to do with a lack of trust or anything like that!" Justin exclaimed firmly.

Sonny went to pour himself a drink, overwhelmed. "Ben was on death row. How could he escape so easily? I would think he'd be under maximum security or something".

"The prison system is pretty permissive, if you ask me" Justin replied.

"Corrupt would be the word you're looking for" Victor interjected.

Justin rolled his eyes and ignored him. "When there's someone sentenced to death, guards tend to leave them alone to do as they want, I guess they think the prisoner has given up all kinds of hope to be free. Ben would be one very rare exception".

"He probably bribed a guard into making sure no one caught him while he escaped. I heard his murderous father was involved too, but got caught in the process. That man cannot be seen in Salem. If he can betray his own flesh and blood, no one will be safe from him, especially Ciara".

"Where are you going?" Justin asked, for Victor had started to walk to another room after taking his phone.

"To call my men" he replied. "I'll have them look for Weston and shoot him in the head if they see him".

After he was gone, Sonny gulped. "I haven't seen Uncle Vic so mad".

"He's worried about Ciara" Justin explained, although he actually knew there was no reason. He fully believed in Ben's innocence, even after Ciara had told him he was not the innocent man Victor and Xander sent to prison the previous year. He did wonder why Ben would have risked everything by escaping, but that could wait.

"Hey, um" Sonny started, lowering his voice for he did not want Victor to listen, he knew his uncle's feelings about the subject. "I know Ben was cell mates with Will. Do you think...?"

"That he escaped too? Of course not. That he knew about it? Maybe" said Justin. "There's no word on Will, actually. But I think he's still in Statesville".

Sonny looked down. "Will would never escape prison, I know that for a fact. He's way too noble".

Justin nodded. "You still care about him".

"Of course I do. Despite what he did, I could never hate him or wish something bad happened to him".

"If he were to get out soon, do you think you'll work it out?"

Sonny shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't think we'll ever get past it. It's too messed up".

He glanced at his father's innocent look, which seemed to be avoiding him, and narrowed his eyes. "Do you know something I don't?"

"What?"

"I don't know, it's just the look on your face".

"I don't know anything".

"But if you did, you'd tell me?"

Justin looked at him gentler. "Of course I would, son".

Sonny nodded. "I should go. I gotta see Evan".

Once he had left, Justin sighed, just as Victor reentered the living room. "You're making a lousy ass job at keeping the truth from him".

Justin glared at him. "I wasn't trying to. The only reason I haven't told him Will is really innocent is because it's not my place to tell".

"The only reason you haven't told him Will is really innocent is because you are too scared of being cut off from this family as I said you would" Victor said.

"I don't see how you are expecting this to work" Justin argued. "The truth is already in the news! I can only keep Sonny from checking them for so long!"

"Then do a better job! Maggie may not be going to prison, but I'll be damned if Sonny gets back together with that cheating, lying manchild!"

"You are so full of yourself, aren't you? I should hate you too, Adrienne was my wife!"

"You've moved on" Victor dismissed. "Sonny is about to".

Justin got closer to Victor. "I didn't tell Sonny, but I heard through the grapevine that Will is going to be released soon, uncle Vic. Everybody except Sonny knows he's innocent. It's only a matter of time before he finds out as well. You can't be that stupid to think he won't".

Victor smirked. "I'll think of something".

Justin looked at him, furious. "Will and Sonny will reunite. Mark my words. And there's nothing you can do to stop it".

He left the room, and Victor smirked. "Not on my watch".

* * *

Will entered the office quietly. The warden was one of the very few people he actually liked. He was a man, probably in his late 50s, who always wore the same suit he seemed to have worn for the past fifteen years with the same, white striped blue tie, had a white mustache that matched his white, short hair and contrasted his dark skin. He was almost like a grandfather, and seemed to have a very sharp judge of character. He was, after all, the one who determined he'd be Ben's cell mate after all.

The warden was sitting in his desk, reading some papers and chewing some gum. It was probably the same gum he had been chewing the previous day, and the previous day, and the day before it. Will wouldn't put it past him to eat expired food.

"Mr Horton" he greeted. "Have a seat, please. How was solitary?".

Will sat across him. "Um, I was supposed to get out of there..."

"Three days ago, I've just been notified" the warden said. "The guard who didn't obey the order has just been let go".

 _"Bastard"_ he thought bitterly.

"You know why you were sent there, don't you?" the warden continued.

"I've been accused of helping my cell mate escape".

"Are you saying you didn't?"

"I'm saying my actions were taken way out of proportion".

The warden raised an eyebrow. "You lied to the guard in charge of bed checks that night by saying Weston was sick and already sleeping, and when he removed the covers of the bed, he wasn't there".

Will couldn't be blamed for it. He was a terrible liar.

"Forgive me for my words, but that was a very stupid thing to do".

Will frowned.

The warden took off his glasses. "What kind of dumbass goes along with all this plan worth at least an extended sentence when they're just about to be released?"

Seeing Will's incredulous look, he chuckled. "That's right. You're free. Judge Gallagher sent an order of immediate release for you now that it's been revealed you weren't responsible for your mother in law's death".

"I'm free?" Will asked, still not believing.

"You are" said the warden, smiling.

"But what will happen to my aunt?"

"That I don't know. Last I heard, her advanced age will prevent her from going to jail".

"Oh".

Will didn't actually expect anything to happen to Maggie. Not that he wanted to, the whole reason why he was still in prison was to protect her. She had always welcomed him whenever he visited when he was a kid, he was his father's sponsor (despite her falling off the wagon, well, alcoholism was an ongoing battle with oneself after all), and she had been so supportive when he came out.

"Look son" said the warden. "I know it's not fair that you had to pay for a crime your aunt committed. But at least you have now the chance to clean your name and rebuild your life".

Will nodded, as his mind drifted to Sonny and Arianna, his family. "There's only one thing I care about".

* * *

Every time Sonny saw Evan, he felt a tiny pang of guilt. It wasn't too strong to make him back out, neither too weak to make him not feel that, in some way, he was being unfaithful to Will. No matter what, the feeling just wouldn't go. He knew Will was dragging his feet for some reason, maybe he just hadn't had time to file the divorce papers. Pff, time was one of the most abundant things in prison. Still, he knew he should have insisted on filing them himself. Maybe he wouldn't feel so bad about moving on with another man.

Evan was an interesting case. And quite exciting. Sonny had never dated a bisexual guy before. And the air of mystery that emanated from him kept Sonny interested and wanting to know the guy more and more. The sex wasn't that bad, but the very few times they did it, Sonny ended up remembering all his times with Will, and that was something that didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

He didn't think he loved him, at least not yet. It didn't even get close to his love for Will. It didn't even get close to what he had had with Paul all those years ago. But it wasn't so bad. Still, something inside of him screamed something was not right. And being the person he was, Sonny just ignored it.

"You look like you've gotten the worst news ever" Evan commented, letting Sonny into his apartment.

"Not the worst, but it's certainly quite bad" Sonny replied. Funny, he could joke ven after knowing there was a serial killer out there.

"Nah, come on" said Evan. "It can't be that bad, can it? Unless you're here to tell me the Backstreet Boys concert is sold out like in the rest of the country".

"Ha, you're funny" Sonny replied. "But it can. Ben Weston escaped from prison".

Evan's grin slowly faded. "What?"

"Yeah, he uh, he broke out last night. They said he's vowed to find his sister's 'real killer', he still claims he was framed for the murder".

"That can't be possible!" Evan snapped.

Sonny frowned, not used to seeing Evan lose his cool. "Did you even know the guy?"

"I know enough" Evan said, calming down a bit. "I have to look out for David after all".

"David's his nephew, I really don't think he would hurt him".

"I can't take that chance, Sonny. Rafe is trusting me to care for him!"

"Well" Sonny said, rubbing Evan's arms. "I know that Rafe is with David at his house, and he's safe. And besides, I didn't come here to talk about Ben".

"You didn't?" Evan asked, smiling as he played along, already having forgotten about his outburst. "Why did you come here, then?"

"I came to see you, actually" Sonny admitted. "I wanted to see you".

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I figured, since I had nothing to do, and I could use the distraction".

Evan chuckled. "Well, I do know what we can do to distract you".

Sonny raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Oh yeah?"

Both men chuckled, and went to Evan's room.

* * *

Will just couldn't believe his eyes. Not too much time had passed, actually (it was almost a year), but he felt like ages had passed when he was in jail. He looked at himself in the mirror, wearing the same clothes he had worn the day he was sent to prison, and glanced at the uniform which lay, carefully folded, on a chair.

 _"I better not get to use one of those ever again"_ he thought, smiling.

As he passed throught the whole security system, he got back all the things that the prison authorities had confiscated from him when he got in, including his cell phone (which didn't work anymore, he blamed the fat inspector for that, he probably sat on it), his watch and his wedding ring. Will didn't put it on, though, but not as a sign of giving up on his marriage. He just didn't want to freak out Sonny when he saw him by refusing to take it off and looking like a total loser, especially if Sonny wasn't wearing his.

The warden had asked him if he was going to be picked up or if he would just take the bus. Will decided somebody would pick him up. During the time he spent in prison, he got reassured that his family and friends still loved him, despite what had happened. Out of all of them, he chose the one person who could understand not only him but also Sonny, which meant he could tell him what Sonny was up to and if there was actually a chance for him to fight for his marriage. Not that he would make an actual conversation with him unless he apologised. After all, his friend hadn't visited him that frequently.

"There he is!" exclaimed a happy voice, making Will look up. Next to a black car stood his best friend Chad DiMera.

Will wanted to at least look pissed off, but he couldn't help but smile. He had missed him, hell, he had missed everyone, perhaps more than he was willing to admit, so he gladly accepted Chad's bone-crushing hug, and they remained like that for a few minutes.

"I can't believe you're free" Chad said after letting go, and cupped Will's face as he examined him. "Let me look at you. Ah, prison has been a bitch to you, I can tell. You look rougher, though. Have you been working out?"

Will raised an eyebrow, amused, and decided to tease his friend a little. He deserved the fun, dammit. "I'm mad at you, you know?"

Chad's grin didn't fall. "What, me? Why?"

"I've been there for quite some time, I would have liked it if you visited me".

Chad pretended to gasp, offended, but obviously playing along. "I did!"

"Yeah, like once, and that was like a week or so after I had just been moved here!"

"Well, if you're that mad at me, I can just go and you can take the bus" Chad teased, closing the door of the car and motioning to move around it to climb to the driver's seat. "That way you won't have to see my unloyal face all the way to Salem".

"No, wait" Will said, grabbing Chad's arm, stopping him. "I take it back, I forgive you, I get that you were busy and it's ok".

Chad grinned. "You only say that because I'm your ride".

"Yeah, I'll hate you when we get home" Will laughed.

Chad laughed too. "Just so you know, I'm sorry I didn't visit more. I'll make it up to you, ok? Come on, let's go home".

Will climbed into the passenger seat and Chad drove, blasting some music on the radio, old songs they used to listen when they were teenagers.

"Ari can't wait to see you" Chad told him. "I was going to bring her but I figured we were going to talk about some pretty heavy stuff and not suitable for her"

"I can't wait to see her. God, I'm gonna hug her and never letting her go".

"You're such a dad. Wanna hear about what you've missed?"

"I've been kept up to date about things in Salem" Will said. "But what I do wanna know, how's life been with you?"

Chad chuckled. "Well, I'm actually happy right now".

"Because of what happened with Gabi?"

"That's right my friend. No more crazy bitch leading my company into the ground and making me and my family miserable by invading my house like a parasite, no sir!"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you she's still my friend?"

Chad shrugged. "Ok, sorry. Bottom line is, I'm ready to give my family back what belongs to it".

"I heard about Stefano being back".

"He is. But it's pretty complicated"

"How come?" Will asked, frowning.

"Well" Chad said with a grimace. "My father somehow managed to implant his conscience and essence into you uncle Steve's body. Don't ask, I still don't fully understand it yet".

Will closed his mouth, for was indeed going to ask. "Wow, of all the things he's done to rise from the ashes, this has got to be the wildest".

"Tell me about it" Chad sighed. He stayed silent for a few minutes. "I also heard about your grandfather. I'm sorry".

"Thanks" he said. "Grandpa Bill wasn't that involved in my life as he was with Abigail, but he was very good to me. He even sent me a congratulatory message when my dad told him I had come out. Said it was 'about damn time'".

Chad smiled. "Abby sent a condolences card in your name".

"How nice of her, thank you" he replied. "So, um, do you know anything about Sonny's new date?"

"Who, Evan? Nah, I don't think it's serious. He's nice, yeah, but just wait until Sonny sees you and he's gonna forget all about him".

"Does he know about what really happened?"

"He should, it's all over the news. Victor pulled strings so Maggie wouldn't be harassed by the press, but the poor woman hasn't come out of the mansion in days".

"I should go see her" Will decided. "I don't want any apologies or whatever, I just wanna know if she's ok".

"You're so thoughtful" Chad said, in a mix of fondness and mocking. He blinked as he checked the rearviewmirror, and looked back at the road. However, his eyes returned quickly to the mirror, and he frowned. "The hell?"

Will looked at him, quizzically. "What is it?"

"There's a car following us" Chad replied.

"What?" said Will, looking back. Indeed, there was a black car right behind them, and while the road was clear, it did not seem to have any intentions of passing them.

"Will, sit properly, I'll try to lose him" Chad instructed.

"You know who that is?"

"I can see his stupid face glaring at us".

Not too far from them, Xander Kiriakis followed their car, looking ready for a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a sucker for the Chill friendship, sue me. I hope you guys liked this first chapter, let me know what you think and I'll be posting Chapter 2 as soon as I can! I should say, this will be a short story, way shorter than my previous ones, but I'll try to make it interesting and good for you.  
> Please comment and thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the feedback guys! Enjoy this chapter!

"The hell?"

Will looked at him, quizzically. "What is it?"

"There's a car following us" Chad replied.

"What?" said Will, looking back. Indeed, there was a black car right behind them, and while the road was clear, it did not seem to have any intentions of passing them.

"Will, sit properly, I'll try to lose him" Chad instructed.

"You know who that is?"

"I can see his stupid face glaring at us".

Not too far from them, Xander Kiriakis followed their car, looking ready for a fight.

"Xander?" Will said, unbelievingly. "He must be under Victor's orders, he also framed me. What are we gonna do?"

"Hold on" said Chad, as he pulled over the car.

"Uh, Chad, what are you doing?"

"We're gonna lose him".

"By stopping the car?!"

"Shut up and watch".

Chad turned off the lights of the car and pulled the emergency brake, but kept his hold on it and didn't turn off the engine.

Xander stopped his car right behind them, and turned it off.

"Chad, he's coming!" Will panicked, for Xander had just gotten out of the car. Chad ignored him, keeping his eyes on the rearviewmirror, watching Xander approach them dangerously. Just as he was close enough, Chad saw him put his hand in his pocket, apparently to take out something. Quick as a bullet, he pushed the emergency brake and slammed his foot on the accelerator pedal. The back wheels started fast, throwing dust and dirt on Xander, and the car sped. A shot was heard, but it didn't hit them, and Chad took an exit.

The moment he caught his breath, and made sure Xander was not following them anymore, for they were far away from the spot where they had met, Will looked at Chad. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Chad smiled smugly. "What? You actually thought I'd let you be captured by that big ape? You're hurting my feelings".

"That man has tried to kill you in the past, come on. You gotta be more careful!"

"Hey, relax, ok? I'll be fine, and you will be fine".

"How the hell did he know I was being released today anyway?" Will wondered, still freaking out.

"Victor is a man of many resources" Chad replied. "Look, don't sweat it. We'll get to confront him, ok? Just calm down".

They reached the big sign that read _Welcome to Salem_ in a matter of minutes. As Chad reduced the speed of the car, he glanced at Will, grinning. "Welcome home, buddy".

* * *

Sonny relied on Evan's chest after making love. Though he had had a good time, he couldn't bring himself to actually feel good about it. No matter what happened, what he did, his mind always came back to Will. It's the divorce, he tried to tell himself. It's too soon, of course he was going to feel that way. Of course he still loved him, and he would probably never stop. He had been apart from Will before, many times, and every single time his heart cried for him, not even death could make him put an end to his idea that they belonged together and that was it, that was the rule, they were endgame.

But he was young and stupid, he told himself now. Believing that love was forever and a once in a lifetime thing, with only one person to spend the rest of their lives with, was for children and fools. He was a grown-up, and he was smart, as petty as that made him look like. He wasn't going to hold onto the idea that he and Will were meant for each other. Not anymore, not after what happened. There were, after all, some things only God could forgive.

Sonny knew that his case was complicated. Will and him shared a daughter. Yes, she was Will's, but Will was never going to take her away from him forever, or even for one second, and Sonny loved her way too much to walk away. Them, he had to correct himself. He loved them. Sonny knew that if he went through with this, then his life, or at least the next few months would be extremely awkward, between him building a new life and constantly being in contact with his past life. But there was nothing to do about it. Will's wishes were to divorce him, and Sonny was not going to force him into staying. Not when he himself felt like giving up too. Will must have sent those papers to his lawyer by now, he knew he hadn't before but he had been hoping they were filed as soon as possible. Put them both out of their misery already...

"I can hear you thinking" Evan said, sleepy, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

Sonny sat up too. "Sorry. Just been thinking about stuff, got a lot in my mind".

"Wanna talk about it?"

Sonny thought about it. Evan had been a good listener, someone to vent to, someone who understood. But he wasn't too sure whether he should trust him with his disappointment over the divorce. Nothing like talking and moping about your ex to your new love interest, right?

"I don't know if it's the right thing" he confessed. "Don't wanna be the kind of guy who keeps talking about his past like it's the only thing that matters".

"But it does matter" Evan said, already awake. "Will was a big part of your life, maybe the most important thing so far. I understand that you miss him".

Sonny looked him, incredulous. "I never said anything about Will..."

Evan gave him a small smile. "You get that look in your eyes when you think about him".

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset you. It's just that I..."

"...jumped into a new relationship when you hadn't even gotten out officially from the previous one".

He nodded. Evan didn't seem that bothered. "I get it. I was there once. It didn't end well for me, though".

"Got your heart broken by both boys?" Sonny asked teasingly.

"Girls, actually" Evan said. "I never fully loved them, if I'm honest. Got intimate with one of them, things never worked out, and I ended up making a mistake".

"Huh, what was it?"

Evan looked weird. If anyone asked Sonny, that was the word he would use. He didn't seem like wanting to share, which Sonny would actually understand, but he never got to say anything on the matter, for Evan was saved by the bell. Sonny's phone beeped, having gotten a new message.ç

"Wait" he said, checking it. "It's my dad".

"What does he say?"

"He wants me to come to the Mansion quick".

"Lucky for you, you live near, huh?" Evan joked, as he stood up and put on his trousers.

"Yeah, sorry to cut this short, though" Sonny said, putting on his own clothes.

"It's alright, I gotta go to Rafe's anyway. He's working late tonight and I gotta pick David up from daycare" he replied.

"Oh, ok then. See you later?"

"You got it" said Evan, moving forward for a goodbye kiss, but Sonny left before he could even close his eyes.

* * *

A very exhausted Maggie entered the living room. First sight that greeted her was the small table with the glasses and the drinks, and she made a face of full disgust. After she found out what she had done, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. She barely could stand the sight of herself in the mirror. She had gotten drunk, she had taken her car, invaded the wrong lane and caused an accident that costed Adrienne's life. Of top of everything, Will had been the one who had to pay the price, and had to lose his entire life for it.

It was hell on Earth for her. All because of one mistake. And while she wasn't going to go to prison, she was going to live with that for the rest of her life.

"One day at a time" Victor said softly, as he appeared behind her.

Maggie nodded. She had wanted to hate Victor for what he had done. She had wanted to leave the man for good. Him hiding what had happened was just too much. But she couldn't bring herself to it. Despite everything, a part of her understood why he had done it, even if she absolutely hated it. She had accepted her guilt, and had had a long conversation with Justin about that dreadful night. By the end of the day, they had come to terms with it. Justin needed time to process the fact that he had been blaming the wrong person all that time, but knew that he'd eventually forgive Maggie. However, this turn of events had reopened the wound, and it had been just as devastating as that tragic Mother's Day.

By the end of the day, everyone in the house knew.

Except Sonny.

Maggie found extremely bizarre that she hadn't seen Sonny in three days, despite the both of them living under the same roof. Victor had told her that Sonny was actually coming home very late in the night and leaving for work very early in the morning, which was partially true, and that the last few days, Sonny had been spending the night at Evan's, which wasn't exactly a lie, considering that had happened once, but Sonny had been coming home very late, when Maggie was already sleeping.

However, this was the weekend, Maggie knew Sonny was working, and so she figured he was spending time with his new boyfriend. She had been wanting to talk to him, thinking Sonny already knew what had happened, and had even thought he was actually avoiding her, but Victor had assured her that was not the case.

The truth was that Victor had been shielding Sonny from the truth, to spare him the heartbreak and to avoid him taking Will back. He certainly didn't want him in his family. Knowing that the rest of the family wouldn't mention anything to his nephew, he threatened Justin to make him not say anything, in hopes that Sonny would still think Will had been responsible for his mother's death.

It was a stupid idea, Maggie would eventually meet Sonny and everything would be revealed. But Victor was desperate. It was bad enough that his own grandson didn't want anything to do with him, now his nephew? But he refused to give up.

"It feels like a nightmare" Maggie whispered. "And I can't wake up".

"We don't blame you, Maggie" Victor said. "What happened is in the past. What we should focus is in the future".

"What future? I don't want any future! How can I live my life and look forward to the future when I took away somebody else's?"

"My God, would you stop it? It's not your fault!"

"What's going on?" asked Justin, who had just entered the living room.

"Nothing" Victor snapped, as Maggie sniffed.

"No, Victor" she said. "Justin, I just want you to know that I will forever regret what happened".

Justin just nodded. "I know, Maggie. But I don't want you to hate yourself for it. I know I certainly don't".

"Maggie" Victor said. "Stop being so hard on yourself".

"How can I not? I took a life! And she was family!"

"Adrienne would never want you to beat yourself up like this!"

"You're only going to sink deeper!"

As the couple argued, Justin took out his phone and sent a quick text to Sonny. _"This is my chance. If I can't tell Sonny myself, then there's only one other way for him to find out the truth"._

However, as he was about to turn it off, something caught his eye. It was a new article on the virtual newspaper. "Oh my God".

* * *

Sonny walked through the street looking at his phone. Well, he was staring at nothing, just his screensaver, wanting so bad that it was a picture of the family he lost again. The picture he had now was one of him, his brothers, father and mother, one taken several years ago, when they were all living together in Dubai.

How he missed those days, when he was young and carefree, no worries and life was just good. He had been truly happy.

Now, his life was just one big emotional rollercoaster. Sonny felt as though he hadn't caught a break ever since he first came back to Salem. Maybe the whole town's drama had caught up with him and started to suck the life out of him. It just happened.

His love life was a mess. That was the only way he could describe it. He was trying to move on with Evan yet his heart still belonged to Will. Sonny had no idea what to do.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he bumped into someone. "What the..."

"Hey" Evan said, smiling at him. "Long time no see".

"I literally just saw you" Sonny chuckled. "What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were going to Rafe's. Shouldn't you pass by the square to get there?"

"Um, we _are_ at the square" he replied, looking around.

Sonny looked around too. He was, in fact, at the square. "Oh..."

"Hey, is everything alright?" Evan asked. "You've been very distracted all day".

"What? No, no. It's just been some intense days, you know? With the divorce and everything".

Evan didn't look all too convinced, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Ok. I guess I should go. Rafe is waiting for me".

"Yeah, my dad's waiting for me too" Sonny replied. "I'll see you tonight".

Evan nodded, and kissed him.

Neither saw Will and Chad standing at the other side of the square, staring, nor they saw Will start to cry at the sight, nor they saw Chad comforting him.

* * *

Xander's car stopped at the doors of a building, after failing to catch Will and Chad and prevent them from coming to Salem and meet Sonny by Victor's orders, and he got out, pretending to visit his girlfriend, hoping he'd be forgiven for keeping the truth from everybody.

"Sorry, uncle Vic" he said, leaving his phone inside the car. "You're on your own".

* * *

"What? What is it?" asked Victor, cutting his discussion with Maggie short.

Justin huffed, showing him his phone, which just in that moment vibrated, having received a new message. He looked at it. "Just in time".

"What?" Victor asked, starting to get irritated. ""What's with that smug look on your face?"

"Judge Gallagher has ordered Will Horton's immediate release. It was this morning".

"Oh, that's wonderful!" said Maggie. "I'm going to need to talk to him eventually. I need to apologise to him for making him lose all this time..."

"No one's apologising about anything" Victor said, firmly.

Maggie looked at him, confused. "But..."

"I said no, Maggie".

"You know, I find quite strange that you aren't surprised with these news" Justin said, narrowing his eyes. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

Of course Victor knew. The man had contacts and men infiltrated everywhere, but he was not going to admit it. Justin figured he wasn't giving his uncle too much credit now that he was older, and that was clearly a mistake.

"No comment" Victor grunted.

"Victor" Maggie said. "I haven't even been able to talk to Sonny about this. He must be hating me right now and I haven't even been able to talk to him!"

"Sonny doesn't know" Justin interjected.

Maggie turned to him. "What?"

"Justin!" Victor admonished.

"No, no, what is this? What do you mean he doesn't know?"

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake"

"Victor doesn't want Sonny to know what happened so he will finalize the divorce with Will and move on with another man" Justin revealed. "Which, by the way, I already told him it's the stupidest idea he's ever had!"

"I told you I was going to think of something!" Victor exclaimed.

Maggie just looked at him in horror. "Victor, you can't just do that! That's his husband! You're not only ruining Will's life, you're ruining Sonny's life too! You're ruining Arianna's life! How can you be so heartless with your own family?!"

"Heartless? I'm protecting my family!"

"Protecting. Protecting! You can't protect us from this! It's too big!"

"She's right, Victor" said Justin. "This whole fiasco has gotten out of control".

"You shut up" Victor ordered. "You traitor. I told you to stay quiet and stick to the plan!"

"Adrienne was my wife!"

"This has gone to far, Victor" said Maggie. "Sonny needs to know. He needs to know that I was responsible for Adrienne's death!"

Victor looked behind her.

Maggie and Justin turned around.

A shocked Sonny was staring at them. "What did you just say?"

* * *

Rafe Hernandez had his things ready to go to work, just as the bell of his door rang.

_"Just in time"_ he thought, as he went to open it.

"Hey" Evan greeted.

"Hey man, thanks for coming. David's in his room sleeping" Rafe instructed. "His things are where they always are, you know what to do".

"Yeah, sure".

"Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush, I haven't even checked my mail, but I really need to go".

"Gonna see Gabi?" Evan asked.

Rafe sighed. "My sister has gotten in a problem so big there's nothing I can do to help her".

Evan looked at him simpathetically. "Sorry".

"It's alright" he replied. "Oh, by the way, Ciara's coming in a while, she's got something to do in the computer, she won't bother you, but I think you should know so you let her in".

"Yeah, no problem" Evan said. "See you".

Rafe nodded at him and left.

After closing the door, Evan went to the kitchen. On the table was a big pile of letters, all addressed to Rafe and tied with a lace. Evan knew about Rafe liking to be organised, especially now considering he was taking care of a baby. So he started sorting the letters: the bills, the personal letters, the ones of the adoption agency...

Evan wasn't stupid. He put the envelope to the light to see if he could manage to figure out what the letter was about. After throwing away one that had his name some days prior, he was trying to be very precautious. And indeed, he managed to see his name, so he ripped the envelope and read the letter. It was just a short notification.

_Dear Mr. Hernandez._

_We have not heard from you regarding our last letter with the topic of the background check of David's caregiver,_ _Evan Frears_ _. Please give us a call at the telephone number below so we can start conversations to continue with the adoption procedure._

_Best wishes._

Evan crumbled the paper, and the envelope, and threw it to the rubbish bin.

"Son of a bitch" he mumbled. "Rafe must not see this".

The bell rang, making him flinch. Ciara was there, carrying a backpack.

"Hi, Rafe said I could come" she said.

"Yeah sure" Evan said, trying to look normal, as he let her in. The baby started crying from his rooms. "Oh, uh, gotta take that. Um, help yourself with whatever you need".

"Thanks" she said.

Evan rushed to the room, and Ciara took out a laptop, putting it on the kitchen table. "Alright, first I'll start my documents and then I'll use Rafe's computer to check the databases. Hopefully something will help proving Ben's innocence".

As she prepared her things, she accidentally dropped a small puile of Rafe's bills, and some envelopes fell into the rubbish bin. "Oh shoot".

She leaned down to pick them up, and as she grabbed the envelopes from the bin, she saw the crumbled paper.

"What's this?" she mumbled, picking it up. She flattened the paper and read it, frowning when she finished. "A background check for Evan? Why would Rafe throw this away? Unless... He didn't do it".

She looked back, and heard Evan coming. Judging by a small noises, he was probably carrying David.

_"He better not see this"_ she thought.

So Ciara ripped a page from a notebook she had, crumbled it and put it inside the bin, and then hid the letter in her backpack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny, I was watching today's episode just as I was finishing writing it. You might see some similarities but they weren't intentional. In fact, as I write this note, Evan is just reading a second letter from the adoption company. Again, total coincidence, I swear. Anyway, for those who are watching the show, this week we'll see Sonny's reaction to the news of Maggie being the real culprit, so there's not really a point writing it. So what I'm going to do is make a small jump in time. I think it will only be one or two days, so don't worry. It saves me a lot of work anyway.
> 
> Please comment and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! So, too much happened last week on the show, even much more is going to happen this week and it kinda ruined the surprise factor of my plot. As you know, Evan is David's father and changed his name, things I was going to include here. And now, Friday's episode ended in a cliffhanger. So, what I'm going to do is keep it that way, write things that will lead to those events, and adapt them to my story to keep the originality (I don't want to write those AUs that only tell you what you've already seen). I won't waste time into revealing them and ending the chapter there, but I will develop the story so that if you're not watching, you won't get lost. And of course, try to write a little faster so this doesn't become an obsolete story. As always I must say that this story doesn't completely follow the one on TV so many things have been altered. You could say this is a "transicion chapter".

Sonny moved out of the mansion. The sight of his family made him nauseous, so he rented a small apartment and sent Arianna to have a sleepover with one of her friends so he could set everything up. He had planned to be there temporarily until he found a better place, and in a day he had almost everything done. Justin had told him Will had just been released the previous day, but for some reason he hadn't seen him. Well, he knew there was no way Will would know he had moved out or where, so he decided to go to him. So he took out his phone and dialed someone.

"Hey" he said. "I have a question".

* * *

Chad let Will spend the night in the DiMera Mansion until he found a new apartment. With Gabi in prison he could let whoever he wanted stay, not that Gabi would oppose to have Will there, she was his friend after all.

After Gabi confessed her crimes, which included trying to kill Julie Williams, she was sent to prison for ten years, and the company was given back to the DiMeras, with Chad as CEO for his siblings weren't too involved. Kristen and Tony had the own shares of the company and would be kept in the loop of everything that was going to happen.

Will was staring at his plate of breakfast, not actually hungry. After seeing his husband with another man, and not been able to see his daughter, he was feeling pretty deppressed. That's how Chad found him when he got back into the dining room, having stepped outside after receiving a call, and put his cell phone back in his pocket.

"Hey" Will greeted. "Who was that?"

"Just business stuff" he replied with a shrug, and eyed Will's plate. "You haven't eaten anything"

"That explains all the food in my plate" Will said, raising his eyebrows.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Uh oh. I know that attitude. It's the 'don't bother me, I'm havigna pity party with myself' kind of attitude. Come on, what is it?"

"Just not hungry".

"Bullcrap. Spit it out, Horton".

Will glared at him, and Chad grinned, knowing Will would eventually cave and tell him what was making him upset. That had been "their thing" back in the day. They kept staring at each other until Will looked away.

Chad grinned even more. "I win".

"Fine" Will said, a little exasperated, and looked down. "It's just... Seeing Sonny with that guy, I just hated that. I didn't even get to see Ari, you know? I was actually looking forward to that. It just feels like I'm too late, maybe Sonny doesn't love me anymore, maybe he's already moved on".

"Nah, come one, man. You know Sonny loves you more than anything" Chad consoled. "That Evan guy is just a distraction, but it won't evolve to anything more than that. You two are it. I know that".

Will gave him a sad smile. "I wish I was as optimistic as you are".

"Hey, it'll be alright. Besides, today Ari will see you and she's gonna be the happiest little girl on Earth because she's gonna get her daddy back. Aren't you excited about that?"

"Yeah, I guess" Will said, smiling more honestly. "I cannot wait for her to get out of school and see her, I've missed her so much".

"I'll arrange for her to come here once she gets out" Chad said, just as the bell rang and he went for the door. "Ah, just in time".

"Are you expecting someone?" Will asked, as he finally brought himself to eat his waffles.

"Nope" said Chad, entering the room again. "You are".

Behind him, Sonny stood quite awkwardly.

* * *

"Yes, this is Ciara Brady" Ciara said on the phone at the station. "Yes. Oh my God, really? Are you completely sure? Ok, thank you so much!"

Once she hung up, she dialed Statesville Prison to call Ben. The things that had to happen. Ciara had managed to hide Ben in the DiMera cabin for a very short while, but Rafe had managed to catch them. As he arrested Ben, Ciara knocked him out and urged Ben to escape. Rafe had to arrest her, but before any charges could be pressed against Ciara, Ben turned himself in. So they now were back they had started, but soon that would change. This would be Ciara's last chance.

_"Ciara"_ Ben's voice said from the other line.

"Hey" she said. "I got a new lead"

_"Ciara, it's too late"_ Ben sighed. _"My execution is in only a few hours"._

"No, Ben, I mean it. This time is different".

_"How come?"_

"I just got off the phone with the FBI"

_"What?!"_

"Ben, Rafe has agreed to help me prove your innocence" Ciara said. "And it's worked. I found David's father. His name is Christian Maddox".

* * *

Just as Evan was preparing some milk bottles for David, Rafe entered the kitchen, having just gotten home that morning after a long night at the station. He had a crumbled paperin his hand and he looked beyond pissed off.

"Hey" Evan said. "I was just about to..."

"Care to explain to me why I got a call from Child Support asking why I haven't been contacting them?" Refa interrupted.

Evan was taken aback. "I..."

"No, in fact, I think I got an even better idea. Why don't you explain to me why I've been informed that I got sent two letters, but I, for some reason, never saw them in my mail?"

"Rafe, I..."

"Or even better! How about telling me why you never mentioned your name is not actually Evan Frears? Hm? See, here's something about me. I used to work for the FBI, so when I got the call last night, I made the background check on you myself".

Evan looked shocked.

"Yeah, that's right. I know you were trying to avoid that. See, you weren't smart last night, throwing the second letter to the trash can. Ciara saw it when she came over, and brought it to me as soon as she was out of the house. So, last night, I check on your history, and wow, let me tell you. Your real name is Christian Maddox, and you have a criminal record".

"Look, I can explain" Evan said, walking backwards as Rafe walked dangerously towards him.

"Please do" said Rafe. "I want to understand how I could let somebody like that alone with my kid. I swear, if you hurt him..."

"I didn't!" Evan/Christian exclaimed. "Look, I had to, you don't understand. I was a stupid teenager who made one too many mistakes. Nobody would hire me for nothing, and I couldn't even go back to school! I had to change my name to start over".

"As a nanny?" Rafe said, disbelievingly. "Your little stunt may have cost me my kid for good".

"I'm sorry" he replied.

Rafe just shook his head. "Pack your things and go. You don't work here anymore".

Christian nodded, and went to the other room. Rafe sighed, and the bell rang. Ciara entered the minute Rafe opened the door. "Ciara, what..."

"I'm sorry, this can't wait" Ciara rushed. "Look, your contact called. She gave me the name of David's real father. It's Christian Maddox. Come on, Rafe, we gotta find him! He's the real killer, he's the one who killed Jordan and framed Ben for it!"

Rafe's eyes widened, and he took out his gun. "Wait here. I know exactly where he is".

"What?"

Rafe disappeared into the other room, and Ciara sighed in annoyance. What the hell was going on? She didn't have much time to think, though, because Rafe came back and looked intensely worried. "He took David".

* * *

Seeing that Will and Sonny only stared at each other, Chad rolled his eyes. Both his friends weren't making any effort of talking to each other and he wouldn't be a part of it. So he decided to step out.

"I'll just... Yeah".

He walked past Sonny, closing the door behind him.

Will gave Sonny a nervous smile. But before he could say anything, Sonn had given two steps forward and had embraced him tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, Will would disappear.

"Sonny..."

"You have no idea how sorry I am" Sonny said, as he buried his face in Will's shoulder. His voice broke. "I can't even begin to describe it. All this time I thought it was you. But it wasn't your fault. It was never your fault".

"Sonny, it's ok",

"No, it's not!" Sonny cried. "How could I let you go when you needed me the most? I should have stood by your side, I should have visited you more, and I certainly shouldn't have signed those divorce papers!"

"Sonny, hey" Will said, cupping Sonny's face. "I understand, You thought I had killed your mother, you didn't know the truth. Hell, _I_ didn't know the truth myself until very recently!"

Sonny shook his head. "No, it's no excuse. I let my anger take over. I shouldn't have abandoned you. I shouldn't have let you face this alone".

Will felt his own eyes fill with tears. "I don't think I would have accepted it. I was just feeling so guilty, I thought I deserved you hating me".

"I could never hate you. I was angry and sad, but I would have never hated you. God, if I hate anyone is myself. Please forgive me".

"There's nothing to forgive" Will replied, smiling. "I love you, and I never stopped. I just hope you still love me".

"I never stopped" Sonny admitted, and guided him to the couch. "Will, there's something you should know..."

"I know about Evan" Will said. "Um, are you guys serious?"

Sonny thought for a moment. "Despite the time we've spent together and how close we've gotten, I don't think it would have worked out in the end. Even if we've been... uh..."

"Intimate?"

"..."

"I didn't need to know that".

They chuckled.

"Evan knows that you are the love of my life" Sonny said. "He's great, but he's not the man for me. You are, Will. My soulmate, my prince. I wish this could be easy, you know, to pick up where we left off, but it doesn't work that way".

"Says who?" Will asked, grabbing Sonny's hand.

"I do!" Sonny said, smiling, but not letting go of Will's hand. "It may sound old-fashioned, but I want to woo you. I want to be worthy of your love again".

"You don't have to do that..."

"I do, and I will. I, Jackson Stephen Kiriakis, will do whatever it takes for you to love me like I do".

Will let out a wet laugh. "I think I do".

"No you don't" Sonny teased. "Because if you did, you would have beaten me to this"

Sonny kissed him. God, it felt so right. Will had missed that feeling more than he thought he had. It truly felt like home. And Will knew that all he wanted was wherever Sonny went. And so, he wrapped his arms around Sonny's neck, just as Sonny pulled away.

"God, Arianna's gonna be insufferable, telling everyone her daddies are living a fairytale".

"At least, she'll be happy" Sonny smiled. "I can't wait to tell her you're free"

"I wanted to see her yesterday, but, um..."

"What?"

Will looked away. "I, uh..."

Sonny studied Will's expression. He knew him like the palm of his hand, he knew when something was not right. And it hit him.

"You saw me and Evan together".

"Would it be ok if I said that after my sadness was gone I was incredibly jealous?"

Sonny grinned. "I think that's hot".

Will grinned too. "Yeah?"

Sonny nodded. "Ari is at school right now. She spent the night with a friend while I set everything up in the new apartment".

"New apartment?"

"I moved out of the Mansion. I just couldn't stand the sight of them, knowing what they had done to you".

He caressed Will's cheek softly. "God, I don't deserve you".

"Stop it" Will said. "I love you, and I wanna be with you".

"I love you too" Sonny said, kissing him again. "I really want to hold you and never let you go".

Will kissed him one more time, smiling. "Well, as much as I would love that, I actually have to go back to Statesville".

Sonny frowned. "Statesville? Why?"

"Ben's execution is today" Will said sadly. "It's weird, we bonded during our time in prison. We've become friends again. I forgave him for what he did to me. I'm actually glad I did before he..."

"I know" Sonny said. Despite everything, he knew Will wasn't one to hold grudges for so long. And he was proud and amazed by the kind of person he was, forgiving the man who had almost killed him before he died. "You are so caring, and so amazing".

"I'm not that great" Will said sheepishly.

"Yeah you are" Sonny said, pecking his lips. "That's why I love you".

Will smlied as he kissed him again. "I really need to go right now"

Sonny nodded. "I'll get out too, but first..."

He grabbed a napkin and took out a pen he had in his pocket, and wrote the address to his new place. "Meet me here later, ok?"

Will looked at the napkin, smiling. "I will".

They went to the front door. When Will opened, he was surprised to see Christian outside. He looked agitated, and couldn't stop staring at Sonny.

"Evan?" Sonny said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, your butler told me you were here" he replied. "I was hoping I could talk to you".

"Don't worry, I'll let you two talk" Will said, heading outside.

"You must have been pretty anxious to see me if you came here all the way from the Kiriakis Mansion" said Sonny after the door closed. "What's wrong?".

"That was Will, wasn't he?" Christian said, ignoring Sonny's question.

"Yeah".

"Are you two getting back together?"

Sonny sighed. "You know I haven't lied to you, and I won't start now. I told you Will was the love of my life, and that the only reason we weren't together was because I thought he had killed my mom. But he didn't. He's innocent, and I want to be with him".

Christian nodded, and looked down. "I see"

"I know this must be hurtful, and I'm sorry, Evan" Sonny said sincerely. "I had fun with you, and I think you are a great guy. You were there for me when I needed somebody to talk to and I cannot be more grateful for that. You've been so good, but my heart just isn't in the same place..."

"Oh, cut the crap, Sonny" Christian snapped, leaving Sonny speechless. "It's all bull, that 'it's me, not you' thing. No, I will not accept it".

He took out a gun from his coat pocket and aimed at Sonny, who stared at him in utter shock. "This ends now".

* * *

Dr. Marlena Evans watched helplessly through the glass window as Ben was tied up on the stretcher where he would soon receive the lethal injection. She wished she could have helped Ben more, but the man had already told her she had done more than enough. It had been her therapy what had helped him not get deranged, always taking his medication, and always keeping good check on his progress. If it hadn't been for her help, Ben wouldn't have found love again, and wouldn't have had the love story he shared with Ciara. But still, Marlena wished she could have done something to help in this case, no matter if it was out of her hands.

Ben looked at her, and just nodded in reassurance.

Marlena was trying not to break. She felt proud of her patients when they managed to get better, and Ben was certainly one of them.

"Hey, Grandma" she heard a voice say next to her.

She turned around, and smiled when she saw Will. "Oh my God!"

They embraced, and Marlena let herself shed a tear or two. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so happy to see you free".

"I'm happy to be free" he replied, and let go to see Ben through the window. "How is he?"

"A little nervous" she replied. "But calmer than I thought he'd be. We should be able to talk to him soon, you know, to say goodbye".

Will waved at Ben, and Ben gave him a small smile in return. "I wish he wasn't in this position".

"Me too, honey" she said. "Have you spoken with Sonny?"

"I have. I think we will work things out".

Marlena smiled. "That's great, dear".

A guard came from inside the room. "You can come in".

Both Marlena and Ben followed the guard and entered the little room. Ben smiled at them. "Hey".

"Oh, Ben" Marlena said. "No matter what, I want you to know that we believed in you until the end".

"I know" he replied. "Thank you, Dr Evans".

"Hey man" said Will. "How're you doing?"

"I've been better" Ben replied, trying to be humorous. "Thank you for coming".

"I didn't want to let you face this alone" Will said. "I really hate that you're in here. Despite everything, I hope you get consolation, wherever you will go".

"Thanks Will" said Ben sincerely. "Thank you for keeping me company all those months in prison".

"My pleasure" he replied. "Kind of".

Ben chuckled. "Will you stay?"

"Of course" said Marlena. "We will be here until the end".

Suddenly, the door burst open. The guards drew their guns towards it, and Ciara entered the room, with a stack of papers in her arms, and followed by Rafe. "Stop!"

"Miss, you can't be here!" a guard yelled.

Ciara ignored him, and approached the doctor who would perform the execution. "Sir, you cannot kill this man. He's innocent".

"Ciara!" Marlena exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"We found Jordan's real killer" said Rafe.

"What?" said Will. "Who is it?"

"It's David's real father" Ciara informed.

Ben looked at her, incredulous. "My God. I can't believe... You did it!"

Ciara nodded, moving to kiss him. "I told you I would"

"His name is Christian Maddox" Rafe continued. "But he's been going around town by the name of Evan Frears. We've put an APB on him, he's kidnapped David, we think he might be armed, and he's not in the right state of mind".

"Oh my God" said Marlena. "We have to inform the judge".

"I have all the proof we need" said Ciara.

The doctor who had to perform the procedure approached them and looked at the papers carefully. Then, he nodded. "I'll call the judge".

Rafe looked at Will. He seemed oddly quiet. "Will? Are you alright?"

"Did you say... Evan Frears?" he asked.

"Well, that's not his real name, but yeah, why?"

"Isn't that the guy Sonny's been seeing?" Ben asked.

"He is" Will said. "Oh my God, Sonny. I left him with Sonny!"

"Wait, what?" Rafe exclaimed. "You know where he is?"

"DiMera Mansion, I have to get there!" Will said, as he rushed out the door.

"Will, WILL!

* * *

"Evan" Sonny said, looking horrified at the gun Christian was aiming at him. "What are you doing?"

Christian shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sonny. I'm a little desperate".

"Why?"

"Rafe fired me. I need to get the hell out of here. I really need to go or I'll be screwed".

"What are you talking about?" Sonny said. "Why would Rafe fire you? You're great with David! Evan, put down the gun"

Christian shook his head again. "I can't Sonny. Too much is at risk now. I have to go, I need to leave town".

"What, and you're going to kill me because I broke up with you?"

"You're not 'breaking up' with me, you're dumping my ass!"

Sonny was too afraid to start a discussion. He knew that if he made the wrong move, Evan would shoot. "Evan, look at me. I'm sorry that I hurt you, I really, really am. But please, put down the gun so we can talk this through".

"No, Sonny" Christian said. "I'm done talking. I will leave town and I need to do it right away".

"Are you saying you need money? I'll give you whatever you need, just put down the gun"

"I don't want your money" Christian said. "I want you to come with me!"

"What? Evan, I can't just leave town!" Sonny exclaimed.

"Yes, you can! We can have a future together, Sonny! You, me and David!"

"What... David? What does David have to do with anything? He's Rafe's kid!"

Christian chuckled. "No, he's not. David's mine, Sonny".

"What do you mean 'yours'? Sonny asked, dreading the answer. "Evan, did you kidnap him? You didn't hurt him, did you?"

"I didn't kidnap him, Sonny. And no, I would never hurt him!" Christian said, offended. "He's my kid, I could never hurt him".

"You're his nanny" Sonny said before he could stop himself. Big mistake.

Christian's face seemed to twist with anger. "No, I'm not. I am David's father, Sonny. I got the job as a nanny to get close to my kid, since his stupid, crazy mother wouldn't let me anywhere near him, even when she was pregnant!"

He smirked at Sonny's shocked face. "Yeah, that's right. I am David's father, and I killed Jordan Ridgeway".

"You" said Sonny, not believing any of what was happening. "My God, you framed Ben".

Christian chuckled again. "It was so easy. I found out she wasn't letting him near her son either. His own uncle! And then I found out that her brother was none other than the Necktie Killer. It's a family of psychos, Sonny, I figured it was only a matter of time before they killed each other. So I followed Jordan to this strange cabin, turned out the lights and strangled her with her own scarf. Once she was dead, I escaped through the window, knowing her murderous brother would be blamed for the crime, since he was the only one they knew who had a motive. Days later, I started working for Rafe, who I knew had custody of David. I was planning on revealing myself once we had some trust, you know? But Rafe decided he wanted to adopt David, and I was not willing to give up my baby"

"Evan, if you do this, you'll lose him anyway" Sonny pleaded. "Just put down the gun and we can talk it out".

"We can't!" Christian snapped. Then, he chuckled again. "Wanna know something funny? My name isn't even Evan Frears".

"What?"

"Yeah, my name is Christian Maddox. Pleased to meet you" he said, and cocked the gun. "And since you seemed to not be willing to come with me, I guess I have to kill you too. I'm sorry, Sonny. But I can't let anyone live when they know about my whereabouts".

"HEY!"

Sonny looked behind Christian, as he looked behind him. Will had stormed in the room, and had a murderous look on his face. "If you lay one finger on him, you're a dead man".

Christian laughed. "Funny you should say that. I don't need to lay any fingers on him".

Feeling Sonny moved behind him, probably to attack him, he turned around and aimed at him again. "You should not have done that, Sonny".

Will was just about to charge at him, but Christian raised his hand to stop him, still looking at Sonny. "Ah, ah, ah. One more step and he's dead".

"Will, get out of here" said Sonny.

"Shut up!" Christian exclaimed.

"I'm not leaving you alone with him!" Will said.

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Christian shouted.

The doors burst open, and Rafe stormed in, drawing his own gun. Christian, surprised, pointed his gun away from Sonny and aimed it at the source of noise.

"Drop it!" Rafe ordered, and fired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! There, just in time. Next chapter we'll see what happens the next day. Whatever happens on the show this week, remember, this story doens't follow it, it just uses its storyline to start a new version of the story (I should really write something from scratch, maybe for my next story). Anyway, I hope you like it, I'll try to continue as soon as I can.
> 
> Please comment and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long. Life's busy, you know. You thought this was soon to be over? This story may be short, but not that short.

Nobody died. It was pretty anticlimactic but everybody involved in the events of the previous day was glad nobody had gotten hurt. Well, not exactly.

Christian was on a hospital bed, having been shot in the leg by Rafe. The baby was found in a car parked in an abandoned parking lot near the square, a place that was soon going to be replaced by a new mall. The car had the windows rolled down, so David was in no danger of suffocation or anything. In fact, he had been sleeping the whole time, and didn't show any signs of having been hurt by Christian. A jogger who used to pass by the place had found odd the presence of a car in an abandoned place, so he approached it and saw the baby. Concerned, he alerted the police and soon David was reunited with Rafe.

Ben's conviction was overturned, and the new evidence Rafe and Ciara managed to collect reopened the case. As Ben regained his freedom, the authorities resolved that Christian would have to be processed, for the murder of Jordan, for kidnapping David, for lying about his identity and for the attempted murder of Sonny and Will.

Looking at his left hand, cuffed to the bed, Christian knew it was going to be very difficult to get out of his situation.

The door opened.

Christian looked up to see that Will had just entered his room, and did not look happy at all.

"Hey" Will said, looking at him straight in the eye. "You and I need to have a talk".

* * *

Chad entered the living room of the Mansion, rubbing his eye and yawning having just woken up, and much to his shock stared at his wife gaping at an enormous floral arrangement placed on the table., consisting of red and yellow roses, and some baby's breath flowers just for decoration purposes. There was a golden card with something written in cursive, purple letters, and Abigail had not dared to touch it yet. The flowers had been placed in a small wooden pot, and had a white lace made of silk.

"What the hell?" Chad said, confused.

This went unnoticed by Abigail, who was too amazed by the flowers to pay attention to anything else. Her eyes were shining. "Chad, this is so beautiful".

Chad was too sleepy to function correctly. "What?"

"These!" Abigail exclaimed. "I can't believe you had this arranged for me, I didn't even tell you I was gonna come back early!"

Chad opened his mouth to speak, but Abigail ignored him in favor of taking the card and reading it.

"Abby..."

"I love this!" Abigail cried. However, she frowned when she finished reading it. "Wait, why does it have this date? I don't understand".

"Date? What date?"

"This, look" she said, as she gave Chad the card to read it. Chad was finally fully awake, and read it. "Why would it say 'May 2014'? I mean, it can't be about us, you weren't even in Salem at the time".

When Chad was done with the card, he had an understanding expression. "Yeah, this isn't for you".

Abigail raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I mean, it's thoughtful, and I'm flattered you think I could think of doing all this, even that the handwriting is mine, which it's not, but no, I didn't have any flowers arranged..." he trailed off when he saw that Abigail had crossed her arms and was starting to glare at him. He panicked. "...for today. i didn't have any flowers arranged for today".

"Are you sure about that?"

"I totally am" Chad said, making a quick mental note of calling the nearest flower shop for something quick. "This must have came this morning. You were supposed to come home tomorrow".

"Well, I still don't know who that thing is for, or who it is from" she said, grabbing the card.

"Yeah, I forgot to mention, remember when I told you Will would stay here for a few days?"

Abigail nodded. "Yeah. I'm really glad he's innocent and that he's out. But what does that have to do with anything...?"

"The flowers are from Sonny".

Abigail raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Trying to score some points, I see"

Chad grinned. "Are you making fun of your cousin?"

"A little" she admitted. "I would smack Will in the head if he took Sonny back immediatly, after Sonny's been spending time with that guy who turned out to be a total psycho! Yes, I heard the news when I was just getting here. Believe me, I love both my cousins to death, but I'd expect Will to at least make Sonny win his heart properly".

"Oh, he is" said Chad. "Reluctantly, but he is. This was all Sonny's idea".

"Good" Abigail replied. "I hope he treats him good. God knows Will deserves a break after everything, and I think Sonny can do this right".

"I gotta admit, the date has me confused too"

"May 2014... Oh, that's when he and Will got married!" she exclaimed. "Ok, this is a perfect start. He better top this next time".

Chad nodded. "Agreed. Now put that card back where it was so I can give you a proper welcome".

Abigail grinned, putting the card back, and following him to the bedroom.

The golden card shone with the morning sunlight that came through the window, enlightening its message:

_People were all around them, but with eyes that had gone intensely blue he whispered:_

_"I love you"._

_(Maurice - E. M. F.)_

_May, 2014._

* * *

Christian stared at Will, confused. "What are you doing here?".

"Well" he replied, approaching his bed. "I figured, since you tried to kill us, and almost ruined our lives, not to mention you kidnapped Rafe's baby..."

" _My_ baby" Christian barked.

"Yeah, no, shut up, ok?" Will said. "See, after that little stunt that you pulled, no one in his right mind will ever let you get custody of David. No judge will even let near him, and, you know what? You brought it all on yourself".

Will was already next to Christian's bed. Right next to his bandaged leg, to which he gave a look. "Very nice, how they patched you up. It sucks to get shot, believe me, I know. I wouldn't know how much it hurts to have a gunshot wound on a limb, though, I was shot in the abdomen, right here". He pointed at the spot on himself where he had been shot several years ago, the same day his daughter was born.

"All I know is that when I moved, it hurt like a son of a bitch" he continued. "Now, you obviously can't move. So, I know what else I can do. See, there's something I really didn't like about yesterday. You had Sonny at gunpoint".

"I didn't mean to..."

Will let out a small chuckle. "Um, I'm sorry, I must be confused. I could have sworn I told you to shut up. Wasn't I clear?"

Christian glared at him.

"Hm, I guess I wasn't" Will mumbled. He patted strongly Christian's bandaged leg.

"Ah" Christian gasped in pain.

Will smirked. "Now that I got your attention, I want you to listen and I want you to listen well".

He patted the bandaged leg every time he said a word.

"If you..."

_Pat._

"...ever..."

_Pat._

"...get close..."

_Pat._

"...to Sonny..."

_Pat._

"...Ari..."

_Pat._

"...David or anyone in general..."

_Pat, pat, pat._

"...I will hunt you down and I promise you'll be sorry you were ever born".

He patted the leg one more time and with a little more strenght than before. "Got it?"

Christian's eyes were teary from the pain, and nodded.

Will looked at him with hate, and gave him a small grin. "Good. Now go to hell".

With that said, he left the room.

Just as he was out, he looked up when he heard someone slowly clapping. It was his uncle Steve, only with two good eyes, an expensive suit, and a smirk on his face. Right, that man was not Steve Johnson.

It was Stefano DiMera.

* * *

Sonny entered his apartment after dropping Arianna off at school. The previous day, after the whole ordeal with Christian, he had come with Will and made him hide in a closet (Will had laughed at the irony). When Arianna came home, Will came out (again, ironically) and surprised her. Many tears fell, smiles and laughs were present too. Will stayed for dinner, but had to leave to the DiMera Mansion.

_"But why do you have to go?" Ari asked sadly. "Are you and Papa breaking up again?"_

_"No, sweetheart, of course not" Will replied, kneeling down to be face to face with her. "You know I love Papa so much, and we are never breaking up ever again"._

_"But why can't you stay?"_

_"Well" Sonny intervened. "Papa is a little mad at himself for not supporting Daddy when he needed it. So he's going to make amends"._

_That had Ari interested. "How?"_

_Will chuckled. "Oh, yeah. Apparently Papa is going to woo Daddy all over again"._

_"Oooh" she said, starting to get excited. "Then you need to leave!"_

_"Wait, what?"_

_"Yes, because Papa and I are going to look for flowers and presents and sweets..."_

_"Oh, I'm not that much of a sweet tooth..."_

_"... and stuffed animals and pretty things..."_

_Ari had already stood up, grabbed Sonny's hand and took him to the room where they had the laptop. Sonny gave Will an alarmed glance, but Will just chuckled, and left the apartment._

Sonny sighed happily at the memory. He hoped Will had liked his first present. The next one had to be even better.

"And I know exactly what it's going to be".

* * *

"Wow" Will said, as he eyed the man in his uncle's body. "I was actually wondering when you'd be reaching out to me. Not that I'd feel left out if you didn't".

Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Ah, William. Sarcastic and witty as always. I must admit I missed you and your antics".

Will gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Yeah, you in my uncle Steve's body? It's weird. I should go".

He motioned to leave, but Stefano stopped him by putting his hand on Will's chest. "Ah, ah, boy. Come on. I know this is not my most conventional comeback, but you must admit it was smart. And by the way, I'm really happy to see you out of prison. I knew you couldn't have been responsible for what happened to your mother in law".

"Ah, you've thought about me" Will said, pretending to be touched. "I'm surprised you even heard about it. I figured you were too busy plotting your next revenge to even care".

Stefano gave him a small smile, and put his hands on Will's arms. "William, I do care. Because, whether you like it or not, you are family".

"I really don't like it" Will said. He knew he could be honest with Stefano to a certain level, including that kind of situations. He knew the older man appreciated it, even if he didn't like it. Besides, it was better to be cautious. "I only accept it because of EJ and Chad".

"Fair enough" Stefano chuckled.

"Why were you clapping?"

Stefano grinned at him, in his own creepy, terrifying way, which in Steve's face it was even worse. "I saw you inside with that man. I'm assuming that's the one who lied about his identity and almost killed, uh, what's his name...?"

"Sonny".

"Sonny, yes. You must have been furious".

"I wasn't that mad" Will lied.

Stefano gave him a knowing look. "I saw you, William. You gave him a warning, didn't you? Let me guess, do not come anywhere near my family or else? And then, the leg where he was shot. I can only imagine, it was right there, the opportunity of inflicting pain to that bastard and make him fear you, and you just could not resist".

Will was looking at him in shock. The man must have known him better than he thought.

"I can tell by the look in your eyes that I'm right" Stefano said. "Ah, William. You are a true DiMera".

"No, I'm not" Will said, chuckling in disbelief.

"Yes, you are" Stefano insisted. "I took you under my wing all those years ago, and it seems that more than just my knowledge has stayed with you".

Will scoffed. "You are crazy. I'm not a DiMera. Even less, like you".

Stefano didn't look offended at all. "Oh, son, you've been a DiMera ever since Elvis married your mother the first time. Once you become part of the family, there's no going back".

"Lucky me" Will deadpanned. "Look, this was fun, but I really should go".

"Wait, William" he said. "At least, before you go..."

Stefano took out two small flasks out of his pockets, and offered one to Will. "Let us have a toast. For your freedom".

Will stared at the flask Stefano was offering him, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not drinking anything you have to give me".

"Ah come on, William" Stefano chuckled. "You are a smart boy. You know it would be foolish of me to try amd hurt my own family. I know you think I'm a monster, but I'm not that bad".

He looked at Will in the eyes. "You know me better than most people, William. You know I mean no harm to you".

Will hesitated. Of all his experience with Stefano DiMera, he had been pretty decent. But then again, he had hurt people he loved in the past. How could Will trust somebody like that?

"William" Stefano said softly. "Just one toast".

"I want the other one" Will said quickly.

Stefano seemed to be taken aback, but nodded anyway. "Very well".

He offered him the other flask. Will stared at it, and took it with trembling fingers.

Stefano gave him a satisfied smile, and raised his own flask. "To you, may you get back everything you lost, and live a happy life with your family as you deserve".

Will gave him an uneasy smile as he raised his flask too, and drank.

* * *

"Hey Will, Sonny left something for you, you must have missed it" Chad said, as he left a voice mail over the phone. "I mean you left pretty early and I woke up like an hour ago and saw it... Anyway, call me back, Jennifer wants to talk to you about working for the Spectator again".

"Hey" Abigail said as she entered the room, having just gotten out of the shower. "Was that Will?"

"That was his voicemail actually" he replied. "It's weird. He almost always picks up the phone".

"Maybe he's in a meeting" she suggested.

"It's Sunday" Chad smiled at her. "And I don't think people schedule meetings at this hour".

"Oh, Chad, are you worried?" she teased.

Chad huffed. "No, I just don't want him to get in trouble".

Abigail frowned. "Trouble? What do you mean trouble?"

"Well, my father is still out there".

"What, you think he's gonna hurt him?"

"Not exactly" Chad said. "Father has always been fascinated with Will, you know, he says he cares about him, but you've seen how he's always after his family, especially the Bradys. I don't know, knowing Father, anything is possible".

"Will is not gonna fall for his tricks" Abigail said. "He's too smart for that".

Chad nodded, as he went to open the door, for the bell had just rung. "I really hope you're right".

"Hey" Sonny greeted once Chad opened. "Is Will here? I wanna see if he saw my present".

"He hasn't" Chad replied, letting him in. "For some reason he went out early today, but he's not responding calls or messages".

"That's weird, he always does" Sonny said. "You don't think he's hurt, do you?"

Chad and Abigail looked at each other. "We think maybe my father is after him".

"Stefano? Why the hell would Stefano be interested in Will?"

"Chad was explaining to me that they have quite the relationship" said Abigail. "Apparently Stefano sees Will as a son or something like that".

"He was married to Kate, and EJ is married to Sami" Chad added. "He's basically family".

"And considering nobody else wants to be involved with him, he's gonna try to reach out to Will".

Sonny looked at them in disbelief. "I find quite strange that Stefano would try to do something with Will, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, but isn't he supposed to be reaching out to people who are closer to him?"

"I'm just being cautious" Chad replied. "Will just got out of prison, so he hasn't been able to truly experience an encounter with the new Stefano DiMera, who, in Steve's body, is more dangerous than he's ever been".

"Ok, let's say Stefano does get to Will" said Sonny. "What happens?"

"Stefano's been known for using fear to make people do what he wants" Abigail said. "If they resist, he uses force".

"I really don't like the sound of that".

"Considering Will isn't responding, Father may have done something to him" said Chad.

"Ok, we are getting way too ahead of ourselves!" Sonny exclaimed. "Maybe he's meeting somebody or went to the prison to see Ben. Fortunately, I know someone who can tell us where he is or what he's doing".

* * *

Stefano entered his hideout with a smug smile on his face. He had a plan, he always did. Many people had been disloyal to him in his absense, many of them believing they had seen the last of the Phoenix and doing as they pleased with his resources and his name. It was time for revenge.

The board of DiMera Enterprises had betrayed him. For he was dead, they believed themselves free of his power and did what they wanted with the company, including hiring many useless people as leaders of it, stopping its growth and making a joke out of it. It would be so easy for him to reveal himself, claim back what was his. But he was in a new body, and the story of his essence being implanted in it was too farfetched to be believable to the members of the board, no matter how true it was.

So Stefano knew he needed to take them out, one by one. And he had the perfect ally for it. no one would suspect it was him, and the power and money would be his and his family's once again.

"Ah, dear William" he mused. "It's going to be such a pleasure working with you".

_Stefano got out of a room, having had a secret meeting with his most loyal ally, Dr Rolf, and walked towards the elevator. As he passed by another room, he did a double take and stopped to see. Inside was a young man on a bed, handcuffed, and next to him was Will, who looked very much angry. Stefano had heard what had happened the previous day. How that man had been responsible for a crime another man had been accused of, and how he had been exposed just as the other one was in the process of being executed. And to prevent being captured, he had had Will and Sonny at gunpoint._

_Being Stefano who he was, he figured he had to take action. After all, that man had threatened to hurt a member of his family, and that was something he was just not going to accept. But, when he approached the room, he saw through the window what he never thought he would see._

_Will was talking, and touching roughly the man's bandaged wound. He saw as the man flinched and gasped in pain, until the point of actually crying. Stefano couldn't help but feel pride._

_Stefano needed revenge on his enemies. And he needed someone ruthless and not suspicious to do the dirty work._

_"Well" he said, as he took out a flask and a small bottle with a strange liquid in it. He poured it in the flask. "I know exactly who will help me"._

* * *

"I'm telling you, it was so creepy!" Will ranted as he paced back and forth in John and Marlena's loft. John was looking at him, having heard Will's story of how he had met Stefano earlier that day.

The first thing Will did after his encounter with Stefano was run to the loft, hoping to see John and tell him everything. He knew that John would be interested, the man was occupying Steve's body and Will knew John was looking for a way to neutralise Stefano and bring Steve back.

"But you aren't feeling anything strange right now, are you? Like nothing was laced in that drink he gave you?" John asked.

"No, nothing at all" Will replied. "In fact, I..."

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Both Will and John turned to the door as someone outside started pounding on it.

Will looked at John quizzically, and went to open it, jumping back just before Sonny managed to accidentally punch him in the face. "WHOA, WHAT THE HELL!"

"AH! Will!" Sonny exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "My God, where have you been, we were so worried!"

"I was gone for a few hours, that's pretty... Toxic" Will joked, hugging him back. "Sonny, let go of me, I can't breathe".

"Sorry" he said, letting go.

"Sonny, what's going on?" asked John. "What got you so desperate?".

Sonny looked at the door, embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Chad told me he and Abigail believe Stefano was after Will".

"Yeah, yeah, Will was just telling me he met Stefano this morning".

"He got to you?!" Sonny asked, horrified.

"Yeah, he just wanted to talk to me" Will said, deciding to omit the part of Stefano offering him a drink, to not worry Sonny. "He wanted to say he was happy to see me out of prison".

Sonny sighed in relief. "Thank God you're alright".

Will grinned at him. "You could have called, you know?"

"We all did!"

"No you didn't..." Will said, checking his phone and frowning when he saw Chad and Sonny's lost calls. "That's weird. I must have not felt my phone".

Sonny sighed. "I take it you did not see my present either".

"What present?"

"Remember what I told you yesterday? I'm making good on my promise".

Will raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Then I should go see it".

John shook his head. "How did you know Will was here, Sonny?"

"I didn't" he replied. "I was actually looking for Marlena".

"Oh, she's with a patient now" said Will.

"Yeah, and nothing's wrong" John added, joining his hands together. "If anything happens, or if Stefano approaches, you know what to do".

"Call you, I assume" Sonny said, as he and Will went to the door to leave.

Will grinned at him. "Of course".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this COVID-19 thing going on, please, everybody be careful and take your precautions. 
> 
> Please comment and thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, with Peru under lockdown, I should be writing chapter after chapter. I can't, ideas are very few.

The night had fallen, darker than other nights, and the only lights on were those of the tall building of DiMera Enterprises headquarters. Everybody was getting out and getting into their cars to go home after a long day. DiMera was headless, and the board had spent the last few weeks debating who was going to be the new CEO. Not to mention, they were afraid, for the news of Stefano DiMera being back in town had reached them, and some believed that it was him, which started the debate of letting him in the business again.

"So, I'm guessing this meeting will just take more time than we thought" said Laura Parker, one of the members of the board.

Wei Shin, president, looked at her and sighed. "I'm afraid so. DiMera is under crisis, and if it's true that Stefano DiMera is back, he will have to prove it's really him and that he can be trusted before we give him control of the company".

"The man is the Devil incarnated" said Brian Thomson, bitterly. "I'd rather give the position to his youngest son, who is far more honorable than that whole rotten family".

"Careful with your words" Shin warned. "If he's here and knows that you said that, he'll hunt you down and disappear you".

Thomson scoffed. "I'm not afraid of a dead man".

Shin approached him. "There are more things that man is capable of dead than alive".

"So you believe it, huh? That he's alive?"

"I don't think this is the right time or place to be talking about this" said Melissa Zbornak, another colleage. "Who knows if he's listening".

"I cannot believe you are all scared of him!" Thomson exclaimed. "He is dead! _We_ are in charge of DiMera! _We_ call the shots! Not the ghost of Stefano DiMera!"

"Stop saying his name! You're scaring the others!" Parker hissed.

Thomson glared at him. "As far as I'm concerned, the man who approached us is Steve Johnson, not him. And I'm not afraid of him, unlike you cowards".

"Enough" Shin said. "If you know what is best for you, you will stop this nonsense right now".

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm warning you" he replied.

"Shin" said Zbornak, approaching the group, having been called by another colleage. "There's a van for us. The driver says he was hired by the security team to take us all home".

"Then we will all go" said Shin, and looked at Thomson. "Unless you are too 'brave' to be protected, or, as I'd like to say, foolish".

"No" said Thomson, a bit calmer. "I'll go with you".

The whole group climbed into the black van, and it disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

Will entered the living room of the Mansion the next morning, having just woken up, even though the clock was marking one hour before noon. His head ached, it had since the previous night, and no amount of sleep had put a stop to it.

 _"Maybe a cold shower might do the trick"_ he thought.

As he passed a hand through his hair, he noticed something on the table. It was another envelope, and it had his name on it. He approached the table, took it, and smiled, suddenly feeling a little excited.

So he opened it.

Inside was a small card, with one simple message.

_If the universe knew how much I love you, it'd be ashamed of being so small._

_SK._

Will snorted. If Sonny's plan was to win his heart by making him laugh with cheesy, straight out of a high school movie notes, then he was doing a damn good job. He had loved the flowers of the previous day, and had been expecting something similar. But this worked too.

So he figured he had to at least let him know that, and took out his phone.

_Will:_ _Hey. Got your card :)_

_Sonny: Did you like it? :D_

_Sonny: I hope it made you blush ^^_

_Will: Would it be mean if I said it made me laugh?_

_Sonny: Yes :(_

_Will: It made me laugh xD_

_Sonny: I take everything back, I don't love you_

_Will: Yeah, you do ;)_

_Will: I love you too_

_Sonny: :)_

"You are grinning like an idiot and I wanna know why" a voice interrupted.

Will turned around to see Chad at the entrance of the room, who was smirking at him. "Just texting Sonny".

Chad chuckled. "Friendly reminder that my father's portrait's in the room, you might not wanna get inappropiate".

Will gaped at him, shocked at Chad's implication. "You have the worst impression of me, don't you?"

"Just teasing you" Chad laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "Got anything nice from him?"

"Just a card" he replied. "But I'm not showing you".

"What, why not?"

"You'll laugh!"

"No, I won't!"

"Yes, you will!"

"Yeah, I will" Chad admitted, and patted his shoulder. "So, what's it about this time?"

Will shrugged. "Just something short, but cute. I think I'm gonna go see him".

"Off you go, then" Chad said, smiling.

"Later" he replied. "My head hurts a bit".

Chad frowned. "You ok?"

Will shook his head, as he felt it inexplicably pounding. "Ah, geez, I think I'll go lay down".

_"William"_

"What the..." Will said, looking around. "Did you hear that?"

Chad looked around too. "Hear what?"

_"William"_

"That! Didn't you hear that?" Will exclaimed. "Somebody's calling me!"

"I hear absolutely nothing" Chad said, and put his hand on Will's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever, maybe it's the headache. You should go to bed".

"Ugh yeah, I should" he replied, getting out of the room and going upstairs.

Chad let out a puff of air. Will had a headache and was hearing voices? That was suspiciously familiar. And by suspiciously familiar he meant that he knew exactly what was going on.

However, before he could do anything, his phone vibrated, having received a new message. It did not need any identification, Chad knew who it was.

_Unknown number: Come to this location at noon._

_Unknown number: *Location sent*_

Just as he got the message, he also received a notification from the news. His eyes widened.

_TEN PEOPLE MISSING IN APPARENT KIDNAPPING_

_Ten members of the DiMera Enterprises executive board have been reported as missing since last night in what appears to be a massive kidnapping. Witnesses affirm they were last seen boarding a black van. Among the missing executives is Wei Shin, President of the board._

The following article didn't have much details about what had happened, but Chad had an awful feeling that something big was about to happen in just one hour.

"Oh my God".

* * *

When Abigail walked into the square, she was not expecting to see her cousin sitting alone in a table, with some paper and a pen in his hands, and humming to himself. She approached him, Sonny didn't seem to notice her presence. In fact, he was too concentrated on whatever he was doing to notice anything, to which Abigail rolled her eyes.

"Sonny?"

"Do you think Will would laugh at me if I dedicate to him the lyrics of As Long As You Love Me?" Sonny asked, not looking at her.

"Uh, yes? What is this, 1997?" she replied, sitting next to him. "What did you do?"

"I sent him a card".

"Just a card?"

"With some words... which might have been a little too cheesy".

Abigail laughed. "Oh, Sonny, why don't you just go see Will and make up with him?"

"No, it'd be too simple" Sonny replied, shaking his head.

"I think you're trying too hard".

"Ari said the same thing to me this morning. And yesterday".

"Oh, she's involved too?" Abigail said, snorting.

Sonny scoffed. "She said her daddy doesn't care about big, pompous things. He only cares about love and appreciates more the little details".

"Awww" Abigail cooed. "She knows Will".

"She's his daughter" Sonny said, smiling fondly. "Ah, yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe I should just go and try to do this some other way. Will's better with words anyway".

"Well, last time I checked, he's still at the Mansion" said Abigail. "He must have already woken up"

Sonny raised an eyebrow. "It's almost noon".

Abigail shrugged. "He doesn't have to be at work until next week, so he can rest as much as he wants".

"Ok then" he said. "Aren't you coming to the Mansion?"

"No" she replied. "I have some errands to run and then work. I'll see you later".

Sonny nodded, and watched her leave, before turning to go to the DiMera Mansion.

* * *

It was noon, and the sun was up in the sky, too shiny and too hot for a March day, and yet what the ten members of the DiMera Enterprises board could feel was nothing but darkness and cold. One by one were starting to wake up and gasping in fright when they realised that, first, they could not see anything, for they had been blindfolded, and second, they could not move, for they had been tied to a chair and their mouths had been gagged.

The members had been placed, each sitting on a chair, forming a circle. On the biggest one, resembling a throne, was Shin. The man had been the first to wake up, and, being the man that he was, he did not get nervous when he realised his condition. However, he was not stupid. He knew that their captors would soon reveal themselves, and that they were very important prisoners. On the back of his mind, he knew who had taken them, even if the person doing the job had been an entirely different person.

_"So, who did you say hired you to take us?" Shin asked the driver of the van as he sat next to him. The driver, who looked quite young, was wearing a black jacket, a cap and dark glasses, even though it was the middle of the night. That had been the first strange thing he had noticed, and though he had been tempted to ask, he did not want to be disrespectful._

_The driver did not answer._

_Shin raised an eyebrow. "Not much of a talker, I see"._

_The driver kept driving in silence._

_"What is your name, son?" Shin insisted. The driver did not answer. "Well, at least tell me why you took this road, which, let me tell you, does not lead to any of our homes"._

_Some strange sounds started coming from the engine of the van, which was the next strange thing Shin noticed, considering the van looked quite new. In hindsight, he should have been alert._

_"Stay here" the driver finally said when he stopped the van, in a raspy voice, as if he was sick. Shin figured that was why he hadn't been talking. It was cold outside, so all windows were closed._

_The driver got out of the van and closed the door behind him, motioning to open the van's hood._

_"Hey, what's going on?" Thomson asked behind him._

_"Something seems to be wrong with the engine" Shin replied, as he watched the driver check the problem._

_Just as he finished saying that, the doors locked themselves. Shin tried to open his, but it didn't work. "What the hell?"_

_As he struggled to open the door, the air conditioning activated, and Shin started feeling a little dizzy, for the air had been replaced with a strange gas that quickly started filling the cabin. Shin tried to roll down the windows, unsuccesfully._

_"Hey!" he shouted, hitting the windshield with the palm of his hands to call the driver's attention. "Hey!"_

_He started to lose strenght, looking through the rearviewmirror that his colleages had already passed out, and the last thing he saw was the driver looking at him without reacting as his eyes finally closed._

Shin was brought back to reality when he heard a door slam not too far away from them. In fact, it seemed that he had been placed near the door of the room. His senses sharpened as he tried to at least get some clue of where he was. All he knew for sure was that his colleages were with him, and now, that they were not alone anymore.

Suddenly, the blindfold was violently taken off from his face. He blinked, adapting his eyes to the weak light of the room. A man, who had his back shown to him, was removing the blindfolds of his colleages, one by one. He was tall, quite built, his hair was blond and a bit long, and his face showed a beard. It was the new body of Stefano DiMera.

"Ah, my friends" he said, once he had removed all the blindfolds. The members had remained gagged. "It's so good to see each and every one of you once again. It's been what, five years? Don't I look great? You on the other hand, do not seem to have been favored by time at all".

Stefano turned around. "Shin, old friend. I have put you in a privileged seat, considering your position. You remember who put you in that position in the first place, don't you?"

He removed Shin's gag. "Don't you, Shin?"

Shin glared at him. "I do".

Stefano smirked. "Good. Now, do you know why you are here?"

Shin gave him an unimpressed look. "I'm assuming you want to discuss your return to DiMear Enterprises".

"I'm already back" Stefano said. "What I want is to discuss business".

"I'm afraid none of us is in any condition to discuss business with you".

Stefano chuckled. "I see your sense of humour has improved. See, I don't think anyone here is in any position to discuss anything, except me".

The rest of memebers of the board glared, unwilling to let Stefano scare them.

"Now, you have been... Unloyal... Uncooperative... Unwilling to follow my legacy" he continued, as he walked, inside the circle. "You have betrayed and destroyed everything that I've built. I look at DiMera Enterprises, and I don't recognise what I see. And I hate it".

"DiMera has only improved its image since you..."

"SHUT UP! Shut the hell up, Shin! Or I swear to God, I will kill you with my own hands" Stefano snapped, spitting the last words in Shin's face. He composed himself, and faced the rest of his hostages. "I have tried to approach you, to show you my face, and you've refused to believe that I am Stefano DiMera. Well now you see that I am. You must be wondering what I will do next, or how I was able to make all this happen. Well, I had some help..."

"Father?" Chad's voice was heard from outside. The door had been left open, and a light was on outside. Shin managed to see Chad's shadow as he approached the room. "Father, are you here?"

"Chad DiMera helped you?" Shin asked.

Stefano laughed. "Of course not, Shin. Chad is a good boy. I needed somebody else..."

"Father... Oh my God, what's going on here?"

Chad had entered the room and was wandering around, looking shocked at the scene. "Father, what the hell? Mr Shin? What happened?"

"Ah, Chad, I'm so glad you are here" Stefano greeted, palming Chad's cheek. "We are having a business meeting here".

"Business?!" Chad said, disbelievingly. "Father, I don't care what you think, you are letting everybody go, now!"

Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Now, Chad, calm down. See, there's something you should know: Shin and his friends here have been bringing DiMera to the ground, and have taken it far away from my vision. It's an evil we must eliminate immediatly, and I will take full control of the company, restore its way, and make it as great as it was during its prime".

"This is insane" Chad said, moving towards Shin, hoping to free him.

Stefano raised a gun, and pointed to Chad. "Son".

Chad turned to him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you".

"Mr DiMera, if I may, I think I speak for everybody when I say that you will be put in charge of DiMera Enterprises completely once this nonsense is over" Shin said. "You will start working tomorrow".

"That sounds better" Stefano said, smiling.

"I was not talking to you" said Shin, and glanced at Chad. "Mr Chad DiMera has proven himself to be the most honorable DiMera in your twisted family. He will be the one who does the company any good, and we trust and hereby express our loyalty to him".

Stefano's grin disappeared. "That was a mistake you will regret, Shin".

"Father, don't" Chad warned.

"What, you think I will kill him?" Stefano laughed. "Son, after all these years, you should know by now that I never get my hands dirty. There is somebody who will do the honours instead. The man who made all this possible! Please".

He raised his arm, pointing at the darkness, from where emerged another man, who had a gun raised, and already aiming to Shin.

Chad gasped at the sight of Will.

* * *

Sonny rang the bell of the DiMera Mansion for the third time. Chad had left him a message saying he had to go out, but that Will would be home for the day. Looking around and waiting almost impatiently, he wondered why it was taking so long.

Until the door finally opened. But Will hadn't answered.

"Harold?"

"Ah, Mr Kiriakis" Harold, the loyal butler of the DiMeras said. "I'm sorry for the delay, Mr DiMera insists on others answering the door for I am not able to do many things as I used to. My retirement is only one year away".

"Don't worry about it" Sonny replied. "Um, I was wondering if I could see Will".

Harold seemed to think for a moment. "I'm sorry, but Mr Horton went out a few minutes ago. Unfortunately he did not say where".

Sonny frowned. "That can't be possible, Chad told me he was home, that he wasn't feeling too well. Maybe he just went to the pharmacy or something, and came back, without you noticing?".

"Mr Kiriakis, I am very aware of who enters and exits the house, and when" Harold told him. "Believe me, Mr Horton is not here".

By Harold's conviction, Sonny could tell he was telling the truth. "Then where is he?"

* * *

"Will?" Chad said, looking horrified at the gun his friend had aimed at Shin. "What the hell... Oh no".

Stefano just nodded. "Our dear friend William here has agreed to help us with the task of getting rid of these useless leeches".

Chad glared at him. "What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing much" he replied. "Just something special to... Let's say 'encourage' him".

Will was just pointing the gun at Shin, from his right, and wasn't moving, as if waiting for the order to shoot.

"Father, please, stop this" Chad begged. "Nobody has to die. Don't make Will do this, he's too noble to take a life".

Stefano shook his head. "Always so soft, son. It's a good thing that I love you, or else you wouldn't even be a part of this. I'm not even going to do anything about the fact that Shin has decided to give the power to you. In fact, I will step aside and let you lead the company to its glory".

"Then why kill Shin?!"

"That was just a test" Stefano replied, and smirked. "William, please, procceed".

"Will, don't!"

Will reaffirmed his grip on the gun with both hands, and Shin closed his eyes, awaiting death, and his colleages started making as much noise as they could, panicking, for they were still gagged.

However, at the very last minute, Will turned around, and fired.

"Ah!" Stefano screamed, having been hit in the leg, and fell to the ground.

Will moved to point his gun at him, as, out of the same dark spot from where he had come out, John appeared, also carrying a gun a pointing it to Stefano's face.

"Got you, you son of a bitch".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was, honestly, very hard to write. With this worldwide health crisis, I haven't been able to get as much ideas as I wanted. That's why I made this little storyline just to add some excitement, but that will be it. I'll be wrapping up the story in the next two chapters. I'm sorry to disappoint, but those who know me know that I hate to write just for the sake of it and that I don't like leaving things unfinished and uninteresting. I really hope you liked it.
> 
> Please comment and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say is that I'm sorry. I took a break from writing for I had other responsibilities and this is supposed to be a hobby. Thank God I haven't forgotten about the storyline I had planned, so maybe we can pick where we left off. Because I certainly don't want to delete this one. Still, no promises on when I'll update again, but you know me. I'll finish this story.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you are all doing well during this difficult time. University and its online classes are kicking my ass.
> 
> Also, I know that events are way different in the show at the moment, but you guys know I never care about that.

"Father, please, stop this" Chad begged. "Nobody has to die. Don't make Will do this, he's too noble to take a life".

Stefano shook his head. "Always so soft, son. It's a good thing that I love you, or else you wouldn't even be a part of this. I'm not even going to do anything about the fact that Shin has decided to give the power to you. In fact, I will step aside and let you lead the company to its glory".

"Then why kill Shin?!"

"That was just a test" Stefano replied, and smirked. "William, please, procceed".

"Will, don't!"

Will reaffirmed his grip on the gun with both hands, and Shin closed his eyes, awaiting death, and his colleages started making as much noise as they could, panicking, for they were still gagged.

However, at the very last minute, Will turned around, and fired.

"Ah!" Stefano screamed, having been hit in the leg, and fell to the ground.

Will moved to point his gun at him, as, out of the same dark spot from where he had come out, John appeared, also carrying a gun a pointing it to Stefano's face.

"Got you, you son of a bitch".

Stefano stared at John, and then glanced at Will, horrified. "What the hell, William?! You were under my control!"

"That's what you thought, Stefano" Will replied. "I honestly can't believe you fell for it. You are definitely more stupid than the man I used to respect".

"No, that's impossible!" he yelled.

"Well, believe it is" said John, as he and Chad untied everybody, Will kept pointing the gun at Stefano, who looked at him and grinned.

"You seriously don't plan on shooting me dead, eh, William?"

"I will if I have to" Will replied.

Stefano scoffed. "Please, you are incapable of taking a life! Your soul is pure, you don't have the guts to do it!"

"Don't listen to him, Will, he's just taunting you" John warned, untying Mr Shin last.

"Perhaps you forgot" said William. "But I've shot a gun before. Remember EJ?"

Stefano's grin disappeared, as the members of the board left the room, finally free.

Shin collected himself after the whole ordeal, and approached Chad. "Expect our call".

He nodded at everyone, except Stefano, whom he ignored, and left too.

"How the hell did you break free of my drug?" Stefano asked. "Rolf himself made it. It hasn't let me down in years!"

"And that was your mistake, using it for years" John said, as they heard sirens approaching. "How about we talk about this on our way to the hospital?"

* * *

Marlena sat on her couch after a long morning shift at work. All she wanted was to take off her shoes, lean down, have a glass of wine and relax, preferably in the arms of her husband. Seeing that he hadn't come home yet, she sighed and settled just for the wine, while checking her notes of her last patients. Who was she kidding, she was way too tired for that. So instead, she turned on the TV. It was just in time, for her favourite show was on.

"Oh" she said, excited to see the plot unfold.

But of course, not even ten minutes had passed and three knocks on her door interrupted her.

"Come in!" she called, not wanting to miss what was happening.

Sonny entered the loft, looking worried. He glanced at her, frowning when he noticed the television was on. "Hey, um, what are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm watching my favourite show" she replied, pointing at the screen. "Come sit down, it's really exciting".

Sonny sat next to her, right where Marlena had patted. "What's going on?"

"The man there has been stabbed, and that kid just donated his blood to save him, and now it turns out he's his long-lost son" she explained. "It's really dramatic because the kid knew all along. He's a CIA agent, you know".

"Sounds like a familiar plot" Sonny mused, shaking his head to concentrate, for he had gone to see Marlena for a very different reason, and stood up. "I actually wanted to ask you if you had seen or heard from Will".

"From Will? No, I haven't" Marlena replied. "Why? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing, I just... I haven't been able to get a hold of him all day, I'm a little worried".

"Well, it's only past noon, maybe he's just busy. Here, sit with me".

She patted again on the spot Sonny had sat on before, and he obliged. Rubbing his hands together, he noticed Marlena was not paying atention to her show, but to him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing" she replied, a little bit nonchalantly. "It's just that I can see you still care".

"I never stopped" he admitted. "I was just so angry for what I thought he had done. And then he asked me to stop visiting and then the divorce... It was just so easy to just do what he asked me to do instead of fighting for our marriage, which was the right thing to do".

"You still love him, don't you?"

"I never stopped loving him, and I never will".

Marlena gave him a soft smile. "At some point in our lives, we have all made the mistake of doing what is easy instead of doing what is right. But what matters is that we acknowledge that mistake and try to rectify it".

"I have" Sonny said. "I've been leaving secret surprises for him every day. I'm kind of wooing him again, you know. Trying to earn his love and trust back".

"I know that my grandson hasn't lost one tiny bit of those things, and he never will" Marlena said, fully grinning. "I'm so glad you are working on it. But I'm also sure Will has forgiven you for not believing in him, and that he doesn't hold it against you".

"He's amazing, isn't he?" he said, and hid his face in his hands. "God, I don't deserve him".

Marlena put her hand on his shoulder, and squeezed. She knew the feeling too well, and was just not going to let her grandson's happiness be jeopardized again. "You don't get to decide that. Only Will gets to decide if you deserve him. And if you ask me, I think he made his desicion a long time ago".

Sonny looked up at her. "You do?"

"Of course" she replied, smiling. "It was the day you stood by him when he had Arianna, and it was also the day you two exchanged vows for the first time in the Kiriakis Mansion. It was the day he was finally back in our lives, and it was the day he defeated his brain tumour. You pick any of those, but the outcome is the same: he loves you, and wants to spend the rest of his life with you. Do you want the same?"

"Of course I do!" Sonny replied, voice breaking. "We had so many projects. We were supposed to finally go on our honeymoon, we were supposed to have another baby, maybe move out of town and raise them away from all the drama. And then my mother dies and he thinks he caused it, and everything went to hell".

"The truth came out" she reassured. "It's out, and Will is innocent and he's free and he can't wait to pick where he left off with you".

"How do you know that? Did... Did he speak to you?"

"He didn't need to. I know my grandson. The only obstacle in your way now is yourselves. You two love each other, and you have forgiven each other. My advice would be to just tell him that. You have forgiven him, have you?"

"I didn't need to. He's innocent, there's nothing to forgive. I just hope he's forgiven me".

"What about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

Marlena looked at him pointedly. "Have you forgiven yourself?"

* * *

As the sirens approached, Stefano laughed. "Bold of you to assume I'll talk about anything, John. You know me too well for that".

"He didn't mean you" Will said. "He means me".

"You?" Chad asked. "Have you known that my Father was going to do all this?"

"Not really" he replied. "When I saw him at the hospital, I just knew he was up to no good. So, after I left, I did what I had to do".

Stefano looked at Will, and then at John. Of course, now it all made sense. "He came to you".

John nodded, a small, victorious smirk on his face. "Yes he did".

_"Wow" Will said, as he eyed the man in his uncle's body. "I was actually wondering when you'd be reaching out to me. Not that I'd feel left out if you didn't"._

_Stefano raised an eyebrow. "Ah, William. Sarcastic and witty as always. I must admit I missed you and your antics"._

_Will gave him an uncomfortable smile. "Yeah, you in my uncle Steve's body? It's weird. I should go"._

_He motioned to leave, but Stefano stopped him by putting his hand on Will's chest. "Ah, ah, boy. Come on. I know this is not my most conventional comeback, but you must admit it was smart. And by the way, I'm really happy to see you out of prison. I knew you couldn't have been responsible for what happened to your mother in law"._

_"Ah, you've thought about me" Will said, pretending to be touched. "I'm surprised you even heard about it. I figured you were too busy plotting your next revenge to even care"._

_Stefano gave him a small smile, and put his hands on Will's arms. "William, I do care. Because, whether you like it or not, you are family"._

_"I really don't like it" Will said. He knew he could be honest with Stefano to a certain level, including that kind of situations. He knew the older man appreciated it, even if he didn't like it. Besides, it was better to be cautious. "I only accept it because of EJ and Chad"._

_"Fair enough" Stefano chuckled._

_"Why were you clapping?"_

_Stefano grinned at him, in his own creepy, terrifying way, which in Steve's face it was even worse. "I saw you inside with that man. I'm assuming that's the one who lied about his identity and almost killed, uh, what's his name...?"_

_"Sonny"._

_"Sonny, yes. You must have been furious"._

_"I wasn't that mad" Will lied._

_Stefano gave him a knowing look. "I saw you, William. You gave him a warning, didn't you? Let me guess, do not come anywhere near my family or else? And then, the leg where he was shot. I can only imagine, it was right there, the opportunity of inflicting pain to that bastard and make him fear you, and you just could not resist"._

_Will was looking at him in shock. The man must have known him better than he thought._

_"I can tell by the look in your eyes that I'm right" Stefano said. "Ah, William. You are a true DiMera"._

_"No, I'm not" Will said, chuckling in disbelief._

_"Yes, you are" Stefano insisted. "I took you under my wing all those years ago, and it seems that more than just my knowledge has stayed with you"._

_Will scoffed. "You are crazy. I'm not a DiMera. Even less, like you"._

_Stefano didn't look offended at all. "Oh, son, you've been a DiMera ever since Elvis married your mother the first time. Once you become part of the family, there's no going back"._

_"Lucky me" Will deadpanned. "Look, this was fun, but I really should go"._

_"Wait, William" he said. "At least, before you go..."_

_Stefano took out two small flasks out of his pockets, and offered one to Will. "Let us have a toast. For your freedom"._

_Will stared at the flask Stefano was offering him, and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not drinking anything you have to give me"._

_"Ah come on, William" Stefano chuckled. "You are a smart boy. You know it would be foolish of me to try and hurt my own family. I know you think I'm a monster, but I'm not that bad"._

_He looked at Will in the eyes. "You know me better than most people, William. You know I mean no harm to you"._

_Will hesitated. Of all his experience with Stefano DiMera, he had been pretty decent. But then again, he had hurt people he loved in the past. How could Will trust somebody like that?_

_"William" Stefano said softly. "Just one toast"._

_"I want the other one" Will said quickly._

_Stefano seemed to be taken aback, but nodded anyway. "Very well"._

_He offered him the other flask. Will stared at it, and took it with trembling fingers._

_Stefano gave him a satisfied smile, and raised his own flask. "To you, may you get back everything you lost, and live a happy life with your family as you deserve"._

_Will gave him an uneasy smile as he raised his flask too, and drank._

_God, it tasted awful. Will didn't have much experience telling the difference between drinks, but he was certain that what he had sipped was not something he had had before. And he had tasted it all, given past experiences, or so he thought._

_Stefano just grinned at his expression. "Was it too strong?"_

_"Just a little" Will said._ "Oh my God, this is not alcohol, is it? Did he know I was going to ask for the other flask so he offered me the untouched one first? Were both of them drugged and he just pretended to drink it?"

_Stefano chuckled. "I'm sorry. But hey, you've tasted something new. It's one of the best new drinks from my village in Italy. You have just had the honor of being one of the first people to taste it"._

_Will grimaced._ "That's bull and you know it".

_Pushing his thoughts aside, he forced a smile. "Well, in that case, thanks. Now, I really should go"._

_"Don't let me stop you" Stefano replied, stepping aside so Will could go to the elevator. "But William, I'll be in touch"._

_Pressing the button of the elevator, and stepping in once the doors opened, Will gave him a nod. "Of course you will"._

_He didn't wait for Stefano to answer. A soon as the elevator closed, he leaned against the back wall, panting. He was starting to feel uneasy, he just_ knew _something had been done to him, and he had been stupid enough to fall for it._

_The second the elevator opened in the first floor, he ran outside as fast as he could. His head was spinning, and he could hear the echo of what he was certain was a voice, but he couldn't exactly tell whose it was. As he passed by the square, it hit him._

_He knew who could help him._

_So he turned around, and ran to the big building he knew so well. He climbed up the stairs, two by two, and got to the door of the loft, and pounded on it as hard as he could, praying Marlena wasn't home._

_She wasn't. Thank God._

_The door swung open and John came out of the house, looking confused and a bit annoyed at the sound._

_"What the... Will! Hey! How are you kid..."_

_Will walked past him into the loft, shaking, more out of nerves than the drug he was so certain had been given to him._

_"Whoa" said John, frowning in confusion. "What's going on?"_

_"I need your help" Will said. "I ran into Stefano earlier"._

_John's expression changed. "Oh, kid, that couldn't have gone well. Look, I know he looks like your uncle Steve but let me tell you, we're gonna find a way to get him back and..."_

_"No, that's not it!" he exclaimed. "I... I think he's done something to me?"_

_"What do you mean, did he give you something?"_

_Will slowly nodded. "He, uh, offered me a flask, saying he wanted to toast to my freedom, and swore to me that because he considered me family he wouldn't dare trick me, and I, stupid as I am, believed him, and now I'm not feeling well and I think he's drugged me and oh God, I..."_

_"Ok, ok, calm down" John said, putting his hands on Will's shoulders. "You did good by coming here, kid, I know exactly what to do"._

_He patted Will's cheek and ran off inside._

_Will sat on the couch, putting the tips of his fingers on his temples._

"William..."

_He looked around. He could hear the sound of John looking though his drawers as fast as he could, but he had certainly not called him._

"William..."

_Oh God..._

_"Found it!" John announced as he entered the living room again, a triumphant grin on his face and a small vial in his hand._

_"What's that?"_

_"Before I tell you, I must know what exactly you are feeling" John said._

_"Uneasy" he replied. "A little anxious, not in control... I think I hear his voice calling me"._

_John nodded in understanding. "Yeah, he definitely drugged you. Ah, Will, you more than most people know better than falling for Stefano's fake promises"._

_"I know, I just... He was right though. We were family before, I think we still are"._

_"Stefano only cares for his own interest, Will" said John, shaking his head. "He's brainwashed his own children before, and he would do it again. Don't think for one moment he'd hesitate about doing the same to you. Luckily, I do too have a little bit of experience when it comes to mental control by that maniac"._

_He shook the little vial to make emphasis._

_"You see" he explained. "I was Stefano's pawn for many years. And he's managed to control me over and over again. So, after the last time he did it, I managed to retain a little bit of the drug he used, found a lab far away from here, and developed an antidote"._

_Will's eyes widened, as John opened the vial. "Come on, drink it"._

_Will didn't need to be told twice. He drank the formula in a single gulp, and grimaced a bit. The flavour was not better than whatever Stefano had given him. "Is it gonna work?"_

_"Partially" John admitted. "You know how science is, and since the formula I gave them was too small, they couldn't do much. But here's what's going to happen: Stefano will not be able to control you, and you will stop feeling uncomfortable. However, you will still be able to hear his voice, and we are going to use that for our advantage"._

_"Our advantage?"_

_John nodded. "I have a plan"._

Stefano laughed. "Ah, William. Once again you prove you're smarter than people give you credit for. You beat me in my own game".

"Quite the old game, if you ask me" Will said. "I can't believe you've been using the same formula all these years!"

"Father tends to underestimate his enemies" Chad said, raising his eyebrow.

"Quiet, Chad!" Stefano ordered. He then looked at John. "Do you actually think this is over?"

"I _know_ it's over" John said.

"No it's not" Stefano said, standing up, struggling with the pain in the leg where Will had shot him, but standing up anyway.

Chad's eyes widened. "Father!"

Will raised the gun, pointing it at Stefano's face. "One more step and you're dead".

Stefano chuckled. "Now come on, William. You wouldn't shoot your own uncle, would you?"

"Oh, so now you're my uncle?"

"Don't listen to him, Will, he's trying to taunt you!" Chad warned.

"I said quiet!" Stefano yelled.

"He's right" John said. "He knows that if you shoot him, not only will Stefano die, but Steve will too".

"William here is not a killer" Stefano mocked. "And even if he was he would be terrible. I mean, just ask my son Elvis".

"Shut up!" Will shouted.

"Come on, William" he challenged. "Shoot me. Be a man for once in your life".

"Don't talk to him like that!" Chad said.

"Will, give me the gun, I'll handle it" said John. Will reluctantly gave it to him, choosing to be smart. He was not the same impulsive teenager he used to be.

"Yeah, give grandpa John the weapon!" Stefano mocked again.

"Don't try me, Stefano, we both know I won't get in trouble if I shoot you like the kid would".

"That may be true" he replied. "But you won't get your best friend back either".

"Nobody has to shoot anyone!" Chad exclaimed as he moved to be next to Will.

"So that's the side you're picking, Chad?" Stefano asked. "After everything I've done for you, you'd rather losing _me_ , your _father_ , than being the next Phoenix?"

"Will has done more for me than you ever will" Chad said. "And I certainly do not want to be the next Phoenix. You heard Shin. I'll be appointed CEO of DiMera and I will run it like I must. But you won't be able to see it".

Something finally snapped in Stefano. Despite the pain in his leg, he charged towards Chad.

Many things happened at once.

Will pushed Chad out of the way, and by doing so pushed John against Stefano, whose body turned just as the gun in John's hand went off. The bullet hit a barrel of gasoline and the blast of the explosion hit Stefano right on the left side of his face.

Just in his new eye.

* * *

"I think it's safe to say I am working on my own guilt" Sonny said, after thinking for a little while. "I'll eventually get to the point where I forgive myself for failing Will, more times than I can count".

"It's alright" Marlena replied. "It's the first step, don't worry. Take your time and be patient. You are going to be so happy, I promise".

Sonny nodded. "Hey, thank you for listening, I guess I've been a little stressed ever since I found out the truth about Will, and, well, I just don't want to keep jeopardizing things".

"You're so very welcome. And don't worry, it'll be okay" she replied. "You know that if you ever need to talk, I'm a phone call away".

"I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"Nonsense. You are my grandson's husband. Heloves you so much, and I do too. We are family, and that's forever".

Sonny smiled at her. "Thank you. That means a lot to me".

Marlena smiled at him too, just as her phone rang. "Oh, sorry, it must be John".

"No problem, go ahead".

Marlena stood up and went for her phone. "Hey John, I was just..."

Her expression changed. "In the hospital?"

She turned around to face Sonny, who looked confused too. "Oh my god, but is he alright? And what about... Ok. No, no, he's with me, we'll meet you guys there. Yeah, alright. Love you, bye".

"What happened, is John ok?"

"Yeah, um, he, Will and Chad are at the hospital".

Sonny's eyes widened. "What? Are they ok?"

She nodded. "Yes, yes for the most part. There was an explosion and they're getting checked out".

"An explosion?!"

"Look, all I know is that they want us there, apparently Stefano was involved".

"Oh my God" Sonny sighed. "Ok, we'll take my car, let's go".

Marlena grabbbed her purse and walked out, followed by Sonny, who silently prayed Will hadn't been harmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WEAR A MASK. Be safe. And for the love of God, love one another.
> 
> Please comment and thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's official. I have lost my mojo. Pretty obvious, considering how long I'm taking to update, but oh, well. At least I tried. So, this is the last chapter, and I'll retreat with a bit of dignity because I would hate to post crap just because I'm not inspired anymore, I want to leave something good. So, maybe I'll be back for another story in the future, but Uni is consuming me so yeah, gotta take care of that. Thank you anyway for sticking with me, and I hope Will and Sonny get to come back to the show soon. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.

Because life is one sad irony, Stefano lost his left eye and became Steve Johnson once again, just as soon as he came out of the operating room. The chip Dr Rolf had implanted on him was removed, and Steve was left able to regain his own conciousness, and ready to face the things he had done and to deal with his newfound drama he saw himself involved in with his love affairs. That, and he also had to focus on his own healing.

John was also admitted to the hospital, having also received part of the blast, but his injuries weren't too serious, so he was only resting and would be released in the following days.

After the explosion, Steve and John had to be rescued from the disaster, having lost conciousness, while Will and Chad managed to escape with minor injuries. They were also admitted for the night just for observation, but were discharged early the next day.

So, after getting his paperwork done, and signing what had to be signed, Will started to make his way towards the elevator, only to see Sonny stepping out of it. He looked calmer than the night before, when he got to the hospital in a frenzy with Marlena after getting the call about the explosion. Also, he was holding a stick with a "Get well soon" balloon on top.

"Oh, hey!"

"Hey, you" Sonny greeted with a smile. "Are you escaping from me?"

"I didn't even know you were coming" Will laughed. He glanced at the balloon Sonny was holding. "Oh Sonny! Wait, is this part of your 'trying to woo me again' plan? I thought you had given up on the idea and wanted to be with me. At least, that's what Abby told me".

"Oh, this?" Sonny pointed at his balloon. "Oh, this isn't for you, it's for John".

Will gave him a half-hearted glare. "Rude".

Now it was Sonny's turn to laugh. "You're right on one thing, though".

"Yeah? What's that?"

"I do want to be with you" he replied, stepping closer to Will and taking his hand gently. "I want us to live together. I want to take you on trips. I want to wake up and your gorgeus face to be the first thing I see".

Will grinned as Sonny let his hand go to put it on his cheek. "Keep talking".

"I want Arianna to grow up in a house with a backyard. I want us to have a pet. And..." Sonny looked at him in the eyes. "I want us to have another kid".

"Really?" Will asked, not able to contain his smile.

Sonny nodded. "You are the man of my dreams, Will. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with. So what do you say?"

Will kissed him. How could he not, he wanted it all and he wanted to have it with his husband. For the first time in months he was feeling happy and hopeful.

When they pulled away to breathe, Sonny looked a little disoriented. Will frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I'm perfect. You kinda have that effect on me" Sonny said with a smile. "So, should I take that as a yes?"

"You don't seem to have gotten my answer" Will teased.

Sonny shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe you weren't clear enough, care to reassure me?"

Will chuckled and kissed him again. "How about now?"

"I'd say I'm positive you wanna be with me".

"You'd say?"

Sonny laughed. "Do you wanna move into my apartment or not?"

Will grimaced, which made Sonny's smile to fall a little. "What, what is it? Do you not like it or is there a problem?"

"Well, I've seen your place. Small and cozy, one bathroom, two bedrooms, one is Ari's, the other's yours... Where would I sleep?"

Sonny was about to protest that of course the room was for them when he saw the mischevious glint in Will's eyes, who was starting to grin again. So Sonny grinned too. "You doofus".

Will laughed.

"You know, it's a good thing I love you" Sonny told him, smiling. "'Cause that makes me know you're joking, even if it's not funny".

"Excuse you, I'm hilarious" Will replied, feigning offence, but gave Sonny another kiss. "But by the way, I love you too".

* * *

**May**

"Nice to see you guys all settled" Chad commented as he entered Sonny (and Will)'s apartment, Thomas by his right hand and Charlotte by his left.

"Hey!" Sonny greeted him as Will crouched down to give the kids a hug.

"Ari's in her room, you can go play with her" he said. The kids nodded and ran to Ari's bedroom.

"Hey, thanks for letting them spend the day" Chad said. "With Abby out of town and me with my meeting I couldn't think of anywhere else they could be".

"No, come on, don't mention it. We're more than happy to have them here" Sonny replied.

"Yeah, besides Ari loves playing with them, and we got everything to get them comfortable" Will added.

Chad nodded and hugged them. "You guys are life saviours. Thank you so much".

"Go, don't be late" said Sonny as Will opened the door for Chad.

"Thanks again" he said, and left the apartment, and Will closed the door.

Life wasn't bad for them during their first month together. It was a short time, spent by Will settling with Sonny in his apartment, getting his job back and getting used to life out of prison again (Sonny had laughed at him when Will said that, calling him dramatic. Will pouted all day. Sonny made it up to him with a late-night date at Julie's Place with the whole place reserved for them).

So now, there they were, babysitting Chad's kids as they played with their daughter. It was a Saturday, neither Sonny nor Will were working, so it was okay. As he took Sonny's hand, Will stepped into Ari's room, and they stayed by the doorframe, watching her playing with Thomas and Charlotte, sharing her toys and laughing with them.

"You know, they're technically cousins, right?" Sonny whispered.

"Technically not, they _are_ cousins" Will chuckled.

"Still" Sonny chuckled too. "They look beautiful, don't they?"

"Yeah" he agreed. "You know, maybe it's a sign".

"A sign?"

"Yeah, you know? Maybe it's time. Maybe it's time for us to expand our family".

* * *

**June**

After a few phone calls, some investigation and a lot of interviews, Will and Sonny found themselves in front of a beautiful young girl, with long, light brown hair and green eyes. She didn't look a single year past the twenty years old she had said she was, but looked just as lost and a little scared as they were. Her belly was big, a sign of her very advanced pregnancy. She seemed pretty decent, though, unlike the other girls the had encountered. God, they were awful.

_"Are you guys rich?"_

_"So, my boyfriend decided to dump me but wants to keep the baby, so I'm dumping the baby to get back at him"._

_"Oh wait, you guys are a couple? Ew!"_

_"Yeah, so, the doctor said my baby has a chance of being stillborn, and I don't know what that means but I'm assuming it's bad, right? So I'm giving it for adoption"._

_"Mm, so who of you am I taking to bed to have this baby? Oh, I hope it's you, no offence to you, I'm sure you're great in bed but I just love blonds"._

Shaking the memory away, cringing a little, Will gave the girl a small smile. "Um, what did you say your name was again?"

"Allison" she replied sheepishly, giving them a nervous smile.

"Hey Allison" said Sonny, trying to be reassuring. "My name is Jackson but you can call me Sonny, and this is my husband Will. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded.

Sonny glanced at her stomach. It wasn't on purpouse, he just couldn't help it. And Allison noticed. "I know, I'm a little late to the whole adoption thing. But I promise you, I've been taking very good care of myself all this time. No drinking, no smoking, no making big efforts".

"I believe you" said Will. "May, uh, may we ask, you know, about...?"

"The father?" she said. "It's ok. It wasn't the best experience, but I'm ok".

"What happened?" Sonny asked. "It's ok if you don't wanna talk about it, we just wanna get to know you a little bit better".

"It really it's ok" Allison said with a smile. "He and I didn't know each other that well, one night there was a party and we spent the night together. When I told him I was pregnant, he uh, he freaked out, you know. And he spoke to his parents, and they let him leave the country. I called and called, all I got was a message telling me not to contact him ever again. I realised I wasn't ready for this. I don't think I ever will be. Eight months later, here I am".

"I'm so sorry you went through that" Will said.

"It's alright, I'm ok now" she said. "For a moment I had resigned myself to a life I had no idea how I was going to give to my baby, until I heard from this agency and about you guys. I can't give this baby a solid home, a loving family, stability. I want to spend the rest of my life with the knowledge that, yes, I made a mistake, but in the end I made it right. I want to live knowing that I gave him the best possible life, with parents who love and care for him. I just hope he understands one day why I couldn't be a mother for him, and the parent he deserved".

Will and Sonny smiled at her, she had teared up a bit.

"You said, the baby is a..."

She nodded. "It's a boy. A strong, healthy little boy".

Sonny looked at Will. Agreement flashed in their eyes. "Allison".

Allison sobered up and looked at them.

"We'd be honoured" said Will. "We'd be honoured if you let us adopt your baby".

* * *

**July**

There was no fuss. Well, maybe just a little fuss, but that's what parents do when a new life comes to the world. Allison gave birth to a strong, healthy boy, like she had said. She had been staying in the Salem Inn, which was close to the building where Will and Sonny lived, with a friend, so they could help her in any way they could. She got to meet Will and Sonny's parents and Arianna, who had loved her immediatly.

They had actually been on their way to see her when she called to tell them her water had broken. It was hilarious how Will almost dropped the bucket of fried chicken in the rush of getting there, Sonny barely managing to save it (that thing was their dinner!) and Arianna confused because she had just learned in school that water was liquid and couldn't just be broken.

Allison was brought to the hospital all ready to give birth, and Sonny was surprised to see all the family had gathered to be with them. When he looked at Will, he smiled because Will had looked away as he put his phone back in his pocket.

The baby was born without any complications. Since they were going to be the parents, both Will and Sonny were let into the room where Allison would give birth, and held her hands as she pushed as hard as she could. Sonny thought his hand would have broken if Allison had held it a little tighter.

The hospital bills had been already taken care of by them, so all Allison could do was rest without any other worry.

"You guys are gonna be the best parents, I know it" she had told them as she was taken to her room. Will and Sonny had each given her a kiss on her cheeks in farewell, in tears as Will held their newborn son. He was beautiful. His little face was a bit pale, blond hair like Will and hazel eyes like his mother's. Incredibly, though, his nose was the same as Sonny's. He was just perfect.

So, after collecting themselves a little bit, Will gave the baby to Sonny so he could take Arianna, who was waiting outside with the rest of the family. They got outside and everyone approached them, wanting to see him. Apart from Chad, Abigail, Marlena, John, Kate, Roman and Victor, Lucas and Sami were there too, as was Justin, who had Arianna by his hand. She quickly let go and ran to Will.

"Everyone" said Sonny, once everybody was close, as he crouched down a bit so Ari could see him. "We want you to meet our son".

"What's his name?" asked Kate.

"Carter Nolan Horton-Kiriakis" Will said.

"Only Horton is in the birth certificate though" Sonny explained. "We wanted him to have the same surname as Ari. It doesn't matter too much, the four of us are Horton-Kiriakises anyway".

"I love the name"said Chad.

"Pretty original, huh?" Will said. "We couldn't decide what we wanted to name him and we didn't get much time, with buying a crib and preparing the house, so we picked randomly".

"No, we didn't" Sonny laughed. "We both came up with each name and just put them together. It suits him, so it's a win-win".

"Daddy, he's beautiful" Arianna whispered, not wanting to wake him up.

Carter just kept sleeping, unbothered and happy.

* * *

**August**

"I went to see Gabi today" Will said as he entered the apartment. "She is happy for us, and gave us the okay for what we talked about the other night".

Sonny was sitting on the couch, holding Carter, who had just been put to sleep. Arianna was in her room, playing with her dolls after tidying her brother's crib. She had taken her role as big sister quite seriously, and her parents were insanely proud of her. They had put on hold their plans to get a puppy, knowing it could get playful and accidentally hurt the baby, and it wasn't like they had enough space for it anyway. They had decided to wait until Carter was a bit older to adopt a pet.

"How's my little prince, huh?" Will cooed silently, seeing Carter. "How's my beautiful bundle of joy?"

"I'm fine, how are you?" Sonny replied, smiling.

Will chuckled and kissed him, and then planted a little kiss on Carter's forehead to not wake him up. "He ready for bed?"

"Already sleeping" Sonny replied.

"Why is he not in the crib?"

"I don't want to let him go".

Will smiled brightly. "You are such a dad".

Sonny smiled too, as Will sat next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder so he could look better a Carter. "So Gabi approved?"

"Yeah" he replied. "I mean, there were a lot of tears, and some uncertainty as to what would happen when she gets out, but she agrees that Salem is not the right place for us. I want our children to grow up in a place where they have enough space to play, have their friends over, parties, all that".

"A backyard?"

"Exactly".

"Did you tell her our plans?"

Will nodded. "This was happening either way. Maybe not to where we're going if Gabi didn't approve, but we would have moved anyway. This place is becoming too small for all of us. Remember last week? I nearly tripped with Ari's Legos and broke my leg!"

"You did trip with her Legos but you landed on the couch, silly" Sonny smiled, kissing Will's pout away.

Will gently caressed Carter's face. "I want to give them the best life possible. And it's way better if they have it away from all the drama".

"It's been a few months since we last got drama" said Sonny with a shrug. "Now would be as good a time as any to move".

"True".

"Your mom will kill us if we leave before Carter is christened, though".

Will laughed. "Also true. But, you forget that, thanks to a few friends I got in St. Luke's, we can a arrange that in a matter of days".

Sonny nodded. "We do need to find his future godparents too. I was thinking Abigail as his godmother but she already is Ari's, and I am also her godfather".

"I was actually going to ask Chad to be his godfather" said Will. "It's only fair, I'm Thomas'.

"Can Gabi do it from prison?" Sonny asked.

Will frowned. "I'd have to ask. I hope it's possible, I mean, I don't think I'd trust just anybody with Carter".

He looked at Carter, who slept peacefully on Sonny's arms. The baby's face was relaxed, not a single care in the world. "He's so beautiful, isn't he?"

Sonny smiled at him. "Perfect. Perfect's the word".

* * *

**September**

"I can't believe I'm not gonna see you everyday anymore!" Marlena exclaimed as she hugged Will and then Sonny. She leaned down towards the stroller where Carter squirmed a little, smiling. "And you, little prince. I'm certainly going to miss you a lot".

"How about me, grandma?"

"You I'm going to miss you the most!" she said, hugging Ari, who had just greeted Sami and Lucas. "You take good care of your brother, ok? You promise you'll be a good sister".

Ari nodded with a grin, earning a smile from Marlena. "Good".

"How come you guys haven't got anything packed?" Lucas asked.

"We have!" Will said, showing him his and Ari's carry-ons and Carter's bag. Sonny also had a small suitcase with him. They had just come from the Kiriakis Mansion after saying goodbye. Chad had stopped by earlier with Abigail, Thomas and Charlotte.

"You're flying all the way across the Atlantic with that little?"

Sonny chuckled. "We had everything shipped last week. We've been sending our stuff, and now that they're all at the new house, we can go".

"We're so happy you guys are starting a new life" said Sami. "Even if it's far away from here".

"Well, I mean, you guys can always visit" said Will. "The house is pretty big, we have guest rooms and enough space. And we're only a call away, so it's not like we'll disappear".

"Yeah, and we'll be sending pictures of these two little balls of mischief" Sonny teased, looking at Ari, who looked away innocently, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Ari, what did you do?" Lucas asked, trying to look serious but failing incredibly.

"She thought it'd be funny to replace the sugar we had for our coffees with salt" Sonny revealed. "Which wasn't at all, let me tell you".

Everybody except him laughed, even Arianna.

"I mean, your face when you tasted your coffee was pretty hilarious" Will chuckled, making Sonny roll his eyes.

"Can you believe this guy?"

"It was Carter's idea!" Ari defended.

"Uh-huh" Sonny said, chuckling too.

"We really are gonna miss you" Sami confessed.

"It's ok Mom" said Will. "It's 2021. London's not so far away anymore".

Sami gave him a teary smile, and hugged him. "I know".

Then she went for Sonny as Lucas took his turn to hug Will.

"We'll be in touch" Sonny promised. "This is not the end".

"Yeah" Will said. "It's only the beginning".

* * *

**EPILOGUE**

_A few months later._

As Will put the basket down on the grass, Sonny gently took Carter out of his stroller, while Arianna flew her new kite. Life was good.

Their now monthly family picnic at Hyde Park was now one of their favourite traditions to do together, even Carter seemed to like it, if his little smiles when they took him for fresh air and showed him the birds were any indication. Carter loved the sounds of birds, especially when he was in his crib and could hear them singing from outside. It helped him sleep.

_ I've created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Marshall no more _   
_ They want Shady, I'm chopped liver _

As a group of youngsters blasted music near them, Sonny sat across Will on the ground, preparing Carter's milk, as Will took him from his crib and sat too. "Do you remember when we first met? I don't know about you but for me I just knew I had to get to know you better".

"Oh really?" Will grinned.

"Yeah, it was love at first sight".

"I honestly didn't pay you much attention".

Sonny laughed. "Jerk!"

Will laughed too. "I was dating Gabi at the time! I wasn't even out, I didn't even know..."

"I know, I know, I'm just teasing" he said.

"I do have to admit though" Will glanced at Carter. "Part of me did feel something".

Sonny looked up at him, incredulous. "You're just saying that to make me feel better".

"No, no! I'm totally serious! I mean, I didn't know at the time, but everytime I looked at you I felt this funny feeling inside. The first time I saw you I told myself "I can't believe Abby would cheat on Chad but man, that guy looks great!"

"I knew it!" Sonny exclaimed. "I knew you felt something for me too".

"I mean, it's not like it was something strong that I was aware of" Will said. "But now I think it was a feeling that you were going to become pretty important to me".

"And now, here we are" said Sonny with a smile. "In London, with a new life, new jobs, a house, two kids. We still gotta get a puppy. But so far, it's perfect".

_ So the F-C-C won't let me be or let me be me so let me see _

Sonny rolled his eyes. "I just wish they hadn't picked a song with such rude language when our children can hear it".

Will chuckled. "Oh, don't be so politically correct, Sonny, you love Eminem. Besides, Ari doesn't seem too interested in the music, and I highly doubt Carter will be repeating anything he hears any time soon, he hasn't said 'dad' yet".

Sonny glanced at Ari. She was still flying her kite, but now she was showing it to a boy who seemed to be around her age.

"Still, at least bring the volume down".

"Bring the volume up!" one of the teens shouted, as his friend did so.

_ Now this looks like a job for me  
So everybody just follow me  
'Cause we need a little controversy  
'Cause it feels so empty without me _

"Ok, that's it" Sonny said standing up.

"Oh, come on, Sonny, we're here to have a good time, don't cause a scene".

After looking at Arianna to make sure she was alright, Will followed Sonny, with Carter in his arms, who was awake and seemed curious about the whole thing.

_ Little hellions kids feeling rebellious  
Embarrassed, their parents still listen to Elvis _

"Excuse me!" Sonny said, getting the attention of one of the teens. "Could you turn the volume a little bit down please? We're trying to spend some family time over there".

The teen turned around to see him. He was blond too, a bit thin, wore a denim jacket and had amber eyes. Sonny was a little taken aback. What are the odds, he looked just like...

"There's a whole park for you to sit" the kid said. His accent was definitely not British. In fact, he sounded quite American.

"Hey, if you think..."

"Sonny, leave him alone" Will said, catching up with him with Carter in his arms. He had wrapped an extra blanket around the baby to protect him from the cold, and also to cover his ears.

The teen looked at him.

"I like you" he said, and turned the volume down, having seen the baby. One of his friends cooed at the sight of him. Then, he glanced at Sonny. "You, not so much".

"Feeling's mutual" Sonny grumbled.

"Thanks, we really appreciate it" Will said, and grabbed Sonny's hand. "Come on, let's go".

"You guys a couple?" the kid asked.

"Yeah" said Sonny.

"Cool".

"Daddy!" Arianna called as she ran to them. "Can we eat now? I'm hungry".

"Sure, let's go" said Will. "Sonny, come on".

"Fine" he said, and looked at the kid, who had crossed his arms uncomfortably. "Sorry we crashed your party".

The teen shrugged. "It's alright".

As Ari ran towards their stuff, Will nodded at him.

"Wait" said Sonny.

Will groaned. "Sonny..."

"No, no, it's just..." he glanced at the teen. "You look oddly familiar. Have I seen you before?"

"I have never seen you guys in my life" the teen replied, his friends talking amongst themselves, ignoring them.

"I could swear..." Sonny glanced at Will, then at the kid. The resemblance was uncanny. "What's your name?"

The teen raised an eyebrow. "Malcolm".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, what is this? A gahtheone-verse? If you read my other WilSon story, you'll know what I'm talking about. Oh, well. I'm sorry this wasn't longer, or way more developed, but I wanted to finish it today, 1 September 2020. It's a special day, it's Will and Sonny's last episode on the show and I just had to post it today. 
> 
> A big thanks to all of you for reading. I don't know if I'll write again, maybe if I'm feeling inspired, we'll have to see. Time is what I less have so I'm not making any promises. As for this ending, yeah, I'm kind of leaving it open to make thing a bit more fun.
> 
> I hope you guys are ok and taking care of yourselves and your families. Much love to everyone who reads this! As always, feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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